


True Colors: A Steven Universe Story

by thefoodwiththedood



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Gemsonas - Freeform, Gen, Multi, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-11
Updated: 2017-03-14
Packaged: 2018-08-30 07:30:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 38,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8524030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thefoodwiththedood/pseuds/thefoodwiththedood
Summary: Some time between the Gem War and the events of "Steven Universe", a lone perma-fusion, Emerald, is recruited by a group known as the Argyle Guard to aid defending Earth against an impending attack from Homeworld. Together, Emerald and the Argyles rove out in search of allies and try to find a way to fight the invading Gems, all the while learning what it truly means to be an Earthling.





	1. The Man in the Monastery

As another day on Earth begins, the sun creeps up above the horizon and slowly rises into the sky, and just as it surpasses the mountain's peak, the world around it begins to awake. Trees resume growing, slow as ever. All the while, red pandas begin to scurry amongst their branches, and at their roots, yaks and tahrs graze the sparse mountain grass. For them, life continues as it always has. Not far from them, there sits an abandoned Taoist monastery. Life goes on for it, too, much to its detriment: In many places, its walls have crumbled, its ceilings have fallen in, creeper vines cover many of its surfaces—and yet, a sense of calm and serenity permeates through its halls.

This calm is interrupted as a cerulean beam of light shoots from atop a faceted platform in the center of the monastery, causing the vines to rustle and the dust to shift. As the beam subsides, the figure of a large Gem materializes. He steps off of the warp pad, and as he walks his full stature becomes apparent. He stands just above two meters tall, and he carries enough bulk to look proportionally humanoid. His skin and hair are a bold green, as is the gemstone on his face where a nose would normally be. He wears a cloak of a similar color with light gold trim, all held together with a circular clasp adorned with a gold star signifying his allegiance to the Crystal Gems. He's known as Emerald, and he's just one of the many veterans of the war for Planet Earth.

As he walks the halls of his home, treading lightly despite his size, he lights lanterns along the walls, and eventually the building is lit by a warm glow throughout. In his off hand, he carries a cloth bundle holding food for the animals around the monastery, scented candles, supplies for making tea, and various other items. Every once in a while he uses his warp pad to go down to the nearest village to restock certain essentials of his, as well as visit with some human friends he has. He always comes back with something new, too: This time it was the tea, a beverage his friends in the village said he might enjoy. For a moment as he walks, he thinks to himself what wonderful creatures humans are, and though the battles for Earth remain terrifying as ever in his memory, he is happy he could help save it for their sake.

He reaches the doorway at the end of the hall, leading out to his favorite spot in the monastery. It's a small clearing at the edge of a cliff, empty save for two trees that block out the sun, but miraculously don't block the view of the surrounding mountains. In the center of the clearing, Emerald lays out a blanket and set the candles around it, lighting each one. He sits cross-legged in the center, and begins to meditate. Emerald had become incredibly spiritual and a devout pacifist after the rebellion—it was his thought that, by pursuing peace and happiness, he could avoid conflict. He'd found that neither humans nor Gems were capable of avoiding such conflict, so he moved to the monastery—Alone with nature, whose only concern is maintaining its own never-ending cycle. Somehow, he'd found peace with it and, thus, peace within his own mind. It was a lonely existence he lived, yet somehow, it was enough for him. Thus, there he sits: eyes closed, sitting on his blanket, content with his peaceful life.

Across the mountain range, however, there sit the people that would disrupt his peace. Three Gems—one pink, one purple, and one yellow—look out at his home through two parted stones, doing their best to hide themselves.

"Is this who we're looking for?" the yellow one inquires.

"Seems so, yeah," the pink Gem replies. She turns a knob on one side of her visor, focusing it on Emerald. "There's only one there, though, from what I see. Didn't Septarian say there'd be two?"

"The other one's probably just inside," the purple one suggests. "What're we waiting for, anyway? I'm excited to see how this plays out!" she adds, cracking her knuckles as she says so.

"C'mon, Ame', don't be like that" the pink Gem replied. "We need their help, remember? If we go in expecting a fight, they might get weirded out. We need to make a good first impression, y'know?". The purple Gem relaxes and nods, knowing her comrade had the right idea.

"Alright, it looks like the one on the cliff's asleep or something." the pink one says, readjusting her visor. "Let's move".

With that, they leap down the cliffside and make their way to Emerald's home.

Still sitting in the clearing, Emerald contemplates silently with himself. He thinks about the war, about the humans he knows, about how he misses seeing Gems in a strange way—mostly, though, he thinks about how he can't quite clear his mind today. Normally when he meditates he thinks about nothing, unburdening his mind of troubling thoughts and woes. Today, though, something felt off. He couldn't identify what it was, but one thing was for sure: he wasn't going to be able to focus right now. With a sigh, he gets up and gathers the items he'd set out, tucking them back in the bundle for later. As he walks back inside, he hears a loud crash reverberate off the walls, followed by echoes of hushed whispers. Startled, he drops the bundle and presses himself against a wall. He thinks for a moment what it could be—an animal of some kind, maybe? No, that wouldn't explain the whispering—what about burglars? But this far up in the mountains? No, no, it couldn't be. Oh, goodness, what if it's one of those corrupted Gems? These questions flood Emerald's mind at first, but he manages to calm himself. He decides that, whatever it is, he should be prepared for the worst. He spots a sizable broken roof brace on the ground and, psyching himself up for the encounter, he wields it like a club and walks slowly towards the sound.

"Watch it!" says the pink Gem in a hushed yell. On the other side of the monastery, the three trespassers had entered through the main doors of the building, only to accidentally knock over a planter with one of them. In a whisper, she adds "They probably know we're here by now."

"Sorry, sorry!" the yellow Gem replies, mimicking her comrade's quiet voice.

"Whatever, just stay low and stay quiet. Pull out your weapons, too."

"What happened to not expecting a fight, huh?" the purple Gem adds, smirking slightly as she says it.

"Now that we broke their stuff, they might not be too happy to see us", replies the pink gem, justifying her hypocrisy. "Just be ready for anything, got it?". Nodding, all three summon their weapons—a mace, a lasso, and a pair of tonfas respectively. Slowly and stealthily, they make their way along the walls of the monastery, wondering if within them lied what they were looking for.

The two parties gradually close in on each other, and soon they come to the same corner. Both press themselves against their walls, knowing that the other waits only one turn away. Emerald readies his make-shift bludgeon, holding it above his shoulder ready to swing. The trio of Gems prepared themselves as well, all ready to strike at once. Neither dared to move—both were awaiting some signal. After what seemed like an eternity of waiting, both let out the breath they'd been holding, and both take that as their notice to act. In an instant, both round the corner with a yell. Emerald swings his club wildly, but it's quickly blocked by one of the pink Gem's tonfas. Instinctively, she strikes him hard in the stomach with the other, knocking him onto the floor with a loud thud. Before the larger Gem can recover, the pink Gem holds the long end of her tonfa at his face, and her comrades close in behind her for backup. All four stand silently for a moment, both because of the shock of the situation and the awkwardness of it all. Emerald is the first to break the silence, thinking that a bit of good humor would ease the tension. "Sorry about that," he says with a smile, "but I wasn't exactly expecting visitors".

Realizing the aggressive position she was in, the pink Gem backs off and unsummons her weapons, her teammates doing the same. She helps Emerald to his feet and mirrors his smile, though hers ends up being more embarrassed than good-humored.

"Well, we should probably be the ones apologizing," she says, "We did sort of break into your home here".

"And we knocked over that plant," chimes in the yellow gem from behind her.

Emerald, kind as always, replies to their apology with a shrug and a smile. "Oh, don't worry about it," he says. "No hearts broken, after all, just objects". Remembering both his manners and his dropped bundle of goods, Emerald asks "Would you like some tea?".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Voice Cast  
> -Phil LaMarr as Emerald  
> -Grey DeLisle as The Pink Gem  
> -Michaela Dietz as The Purple Gem  
> -Kristen Schaal as The Yellow Gem  
> 


	2. Tea and Impending Doom

Soon after, the four sit cross-legged around a small table, sipping from their teacups calmly. Despite it being the first time any of them had tried the beverage, all enjoy its sweet aroma and, coupled with the serene atmosphere, a tone of tranquility fills the room. They might have forgotten why they sat there, had Emerald not broken the silence. "So then," he says calmly yet inquisitively, "would you all mind telling me who you are?".

"Oh, yes!" replies the pink Gem. She sets her cup down and clears her throat. "I'm Rhodonite, and these are my teammates, Amethyst and Citrine". She gestures to the purple and yellow Gems on either side of her, and both raise their hands in unison as a greeting.

"Charmed," Emerald replies, smiling. "You can just call me Emerald".

"Emerald, huh?" Rhodonite replies. She gives him a quick once-over and, skeptical of his answer, she inquires "I don't think I've ever met an Emerald before—not even back on Homeworld".

"Oh, well..." Emerald's voice trails off. He'd begun to forget that Gems were made as models, not individuals. He was an exception, however, though rather than explain why right away he just smiles and replies with "It's a long story".

Rhodonite doesn't seem completely satisfied with his answer, but rather than pry further she focuses back on the task at hand. "Regardless, I guess we should explain why we're here, too". As she says so, she seems to take on a more serious tone, and sensing this Emerald focuses intently on what she had to say.

"We represent—or rather, we're what's left of an elite group of warriors known as the Argyle Guard". she gestures to the insignia on her outfit: a set of overlapping diamonds. All three bear the same symbol, Emerald realizes. Rhodonite continues, "The symbol represents our allegiance to each Diamond and, subsequently, none of them. We would aid each as needed, though we belonged to no one but ourselves".

"We aren't loyal to them anymore, though," Amethyst interjects. "Not since the rebellion". All three nod in agreement, and Rhodonite continues speaking.

"Though we didn't exactly agree with all the ideas of the Crystal Gems, we did see value in the Earth. We believed it had potential to be a safe haven from the Diamonds' oppression—a free world where anyone from the lowest pauper to the most affluent aristocrat could come and be what they wanted to be, without anyone telling them otherwise,". Rhodonite let out a crestfallen sigh. "It didn't exactly pan out that way, though. But even so, we still call the Earth home, and we want to do everything we can to keep it free from the Diamonds' tyranny".

"Amen to that," Emerald replies, raising his teacup as a quick sort of toast. "But how does that relate to you being here?".

"We need you to help us maintain Earth's freedom," Rhodonite replies. "You see, Homeworld's still a little sore about losing the Earth colony, and we've found that they're wanting to make a second attempt on conquering it. As we speak, a ship carrying a yet unknown number of Gems is hurdling towards Earth, and based on our calculations, it will arrive in one year, give or take. They know that there's still Gems alive here, and we believe they're planning to exterminate what's left of us so they can start the colony anew. We can't let this happen, of course, but on our own we won't stand a chance of beating them".

"So we're not gonna do it alone," Amethyst adds. Her tone of voice carries Rhodonite's seriousness, but it holds a passionate bravado with it as well. "We're gonna take the year to search around and see if we can find some allies. We found a way to track living Gems, and that's basically how we found you. By our guess, there's a little less than a hundred of us left on Earth, so surely some of them will wanna help us, right?".

"We understand if you don't want to, though," Citrine interjects. Her tone is different, too: passionate like Amethyst's, yet a tad more reserved and a little kinder. "A lot of Gems just don't want to fight anymore—not after the war. Even we would prefer not to, really. We just want to keep Earth safe, y'know?".

Emerald sits back, propping himself up with his hand. Taken aback would be an understatement: he was so sure he'd finally found peace. He thought he'd never have to fight anyone anymore. Yet now he's being told Homeworld's coming back, and he'd have to give up his pacifist ways to stop them. It's his worst nightmare come true. "Wow," is all he can say.

"We know it's a lot to take in, and we know it's a lot to ask from you," Rhodonite says. "But if you're willing to help us then, well, we'd really appreciate it".

Emerald considers their offer for a moment, wondering if it was the right thing to do. He dreaded the idea of having to fight, but no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't think of a way around it. After debating it with himself for a moment, Emerald finally comes up with a response. "To have to fight is torture for me. I can't bare to even hurt someone's feelings, let alone hurt them physically," He paused, steeling his nerve and collecting his thoughts. "But I love the Earth, too, and if it means protecting my home, then I'll do my best to help out however I can".

The three Gems across from him smile gratefully. "Thank you" Rhodonite says, and Amethyst and Citrine nod in agreement. Emerald smiles back, but before he can add anything more, Rhodonite stands up and reaches out a hand to him, helping him to his feet as well.

"Shall we head out, then?" she says.

"Wait, head out where?" Emerald replies, slightly confused.

"To the Temple of the Argyles! It's sorta like our base of operations, so yeah, we figured it'd be best to bring you there so you can get fully up to speed. It's only a short hop away via warp pad, so don't worry, it won't take long!".

"Oh, well, alright! Let's go!". Emerald is still slightly taken aback at the urgency of it all, but he decides to just go along with it. There's no time like the present, after all.

"Wait, Rhodo'," Citrine interjects. "Septarian said there'd be two Gems here, right?"

"Oh, yeah, I almost forgot!" Rhodonite replies, turning to Emerald. "When we checked, we detected two Gems in this area. Is there someone else around?"

Emerald feels now would be the time to explain himself. "Well, there are and there aren't" he says, pulling back his cloak. Underneath, he wears a skin-tight green unitard with armored gloves and boots—old battle garb from when he was a soldier. He would have reformed with something more comfortable, but he hadn't needed to regenerate his form since the war—he keeps himself out of trouble, for the most part. Those aren't what stands out, though; from his back protrudes an extra pair of arms, and in the center of his chest sits a second gemstone.

"You're a fusion!" Rhodonite exclaims, half out of surprise and half out of interest. Amethyst and Citrine are even more captivated by the concept, but they both just gawk silently at the curiosity of Emerald's existence.

"You bet," Emerald replies, proud of the reaction he'd elicited. Despite hiding it behind his cloak, he'd always been proud of the fact that he was a fusion, and he always loved seeing how people reacted to the notion. He continued, "Long story short, one day a Tourmaline and a Quartz got together and, well, here I am!".

"That's incredible!" Rhodonite replies, taking Emerald by the arm and walking with him to the warp pad. Everyone steps onto the platform, still questioning Emerald about what it's like to be himself, and as they do he thinks about what he's getting into. He worries about having to fight, but at the same time he's growing to like these new friends of his—they seem to have good intentions, at the very least. The familiar blue beam of light surrounds the group and rockets them off to their destination, leaving Emerald only able to wonder where the day will take him next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Voice Cast  
> -Phil LaMarr as Emerald  
> -Grey DeLisle as Rhodonite  
> -Michaela Dietz as Amethyst  
> -Kristen Schaal as Citrine  
> 


	3. Misty Mountains Cold

After a few minutes of travel, the four arrive at their destination, and as they step off the warp pad Emerald takes in his surroundings. They'd gone up in elevation, he deduces, as the surrounding mountains have gone from being covered by vegetation to covered in snow. From what he can see through the clouds circling the mountaintops, they're far from any civilization. "So, where exactly are we?" he asks.

"Welcome to Gangkhar Puensum" Rhodonite answers. "Home, sweet home". Emerald remembers hearing that name before; Gangkhar Puensum was a mountain humans weren't allowed to climb, if he understood correctly. To many of them, the peak is considered a sacred site, as it's said to be the home of various spirits and deities. They weren't half wrong, really. The Gems are like spirits, in a way: They're powerful, immortal beings from a world unknown to man whose actions, despite almost never showing themselves, have a profound impact on Earth and all its creatures. The one difference, Emerald thinks to himself, is that deities are meant to be perfectly omnipotent, whereas Gems are flawed creatures that have no more answers than the humans they seek to protect.

Emerald would have pondered this thought more, given the opportunity, yet he's interrupted as his new friends beckon him towards the cliffside nearest the warp pad. As he comes up to them, Rhodonite looks back at him as if to say "Watch this", and she presses her hand to the cliff. A bright white circle extends out around her handprint, and promptly a large arch-shaped portion of the wall is engulfed in brilliant white light—and an instant later, it all phases away, leaving a doorway to a massive cave in its wake. Emerald stands awestruck for a moment; he'd always known how advanced Gem technology was, yet he hadn't seen it in action for millennia. Seeing it now, he wonders for a moment how much else he's blocked out about Homeworld. "Goodness," is all he can say of it.

"Yeah, it's a pretty cool door. The inside's even better, though!" Citrine says as she and her comrades lead Emerald inside the cave. She was right: the inside is a marvel to behold. The walls are adorned with small crystals, some glowing softly in various colors where the light from the outside doesn't reach. The floor is flat and polished, despite the room's rocky walls, and in the center of it lies a large Argyle symbol, glowing white like the doorway had before. The true centerpiece, however, is the massive carved figure in the back wall of the cave. Like a statue of the greek god Atlas, the gargantuan figure stands hunched over, bearing the weight of the mountain upon her shoulders and shaping the cave's roof. Her stolid expression and the armor she wears gives Emerald the thought she's meant to be a warrior—another one of the Argyles, perhaps? More likely, she's just meant to represent them in some way. At her feet there sits a door adorned with various gemstones—a key characteristic of Gem temples.

Just as Emerald takes notice of the door, it starts to open. Ivory-colored lines appear on its surface, and as the intersected portions part ways a small Gem floats out, only just barely touching the ground as she moves. "Oh, you're back!" she exclaims, seeing the group before her. She glides over to them, the frills of her dress ruffling wildly behind her. "How'd the mission g—oh!", she stops mid-sentence, noticing Emerald behind them. "You must be the one everyone went to find!" Remembering her manners, she steps forward and curtsies primly, and Emerald returns the gesture with a gentlemanly bow. Normally he wouldn't have been so proper, but at the moment he's just happy that this introduction is going smoother than the last. As the two stand back up, Emerald takes a moment to analyze the smaller Gem. Unlike the others, she's only about half his size, and her outfit is more akin to a dress than any sort of armor. Moreover, from her pure white complexion to her ability to float, she appears more like a small cloud than a Gem—and about as fragile, at that. Nevertheless, her gown still bears the symbol of the Argyles, and Emerald wonders to how she got mixed up with this band of brutes. "I'm Okenite," she says, interrupting Emerald's train of thought. "How're you called? I don't think I've ever seen another Gem like you before,".

"Oh, you can just call me Emerald," he replies with a smile. He realizes he must've went silent for a second there, prompting the question. "Sorry," he adds, "I was trying to figure out what a Gem like you could be doing here. Pardon me for saying so, but you don't really seem like the warrior type".

"You're not wrong there—I'm the team's medic. I mean, I'm not really suited to be a field nurse or anything, but I do my best!" she replies. That explains it, Emerald thinks to himself. He now recalls hearing of Okenites back on Homeworld: amazing healers, yet just a touch too fragile for combat.

"Well, regardless, it's a pleasure to meet you!" he says, eliciting a small smile from the smaller Gem. "So then," he adds, turning back to the others, "is that the whole team?".

"Yep!" Rhodonite replies. "Everyone except for—"

Her words are interrupted as the sound of the warp pad activating echoes off the cave, and all turn to see who could be arriving. As the beam evaporates, a figure steps into view and walks up to the group. Emerald inspects the new face—she's tall, close to his own height, and although she isn't heavily built her presence seems to take up the entire room. She wears a full set of armor, unlike the others' partial sets, and each piece glitters with gold accents contrasting against the black and gray plates. She's obviously a warrior, yet unlike the typical long-maned quartz her hair is cropped to a short mohawk, complimented by a pair of golden rhombus-shaped earrings and two piercing black eyes—"solemn subtlety" is the alliteration that comes to Emerald's mind.

"Hey Septa'!" Rhodonite says, greeting the imposing figure.

"Afternoon, everyone," she says in a deep, sonorous voice. She notices Emerald behind her teammates and adds "I see the mission went well enough. What happened to the second one, though?".

Emerald steps forward to explain himself, saying "Well, that's a funny story,". He pulls back his cloak, revealing the gemstone on his chest

"Interesting," she remarks, looking him up and down. "So you're a fusion, then. What of?".

Emerald never did care for this question. To him, the implication is that he's only the sum of his parts, rather than his own person. Even so, he answers, "a Chrome Tourmaline and a Prasiolite".

"Ah, excellent!", she replies, a small grin appearing on her face. "By that logic, you must be an impeccable fighter". She'd be right to assume so. Quartzes are notoriously stalwart infantrymen, and Tourmalines are meant to be skilled ranged attackers and marksmen. Moreover, Prasiolites and Chrome Tourmalines are built to excel at these roles—they're meant to be more than mere cannon fodder. If Emerald really was just the sum of his parts, he would be an unstoppable force on the battlefield.

"Well, not exactly," Emerald corrects her. "Truth is, I can't really fight at all".

Her grin disappears instantly. "What?" she says, coming out as more of a challenge than a question.

"I can't fight," he reiterates. "When my two halves first fused, despite their own strength, they found that fighting didn't come naturally to me. I can't hit hard, I lack either of their abilities—I'm essentially a brick wall in terms of combat strength. The rebellion had just ended at the time, so instead of learning to fight they...or, rather, I just never bothered to learn—nowadays I'm a pacifist, even. I never minded, though—I never wanted to hurt anyone anyway".

The warrior Gem before him crosses her arms and furrows her brows as he speaks. As he finishes, she shoots an inquisitive look at the three who brought him here, yet all they return are embarrassed shrugs. She turns back at Emerald, giving him a similar glare. "Well look, fusion, I don't know what my teammates here told you, but we're gearing up to defend Earth from Homeworld. We want muscle, not moral support".

"Well, yeah, I know, but—".

"Then why are you even here? Why come if you know you can't help?".

Hearing the taller Gem get more aggressive, the others step in to defend Emerald. "Lay off him, Septarian". Rhodonite exclaims. "The way he puts it, he can't help that he can't fight. No need to get mad at him for it".

"He came here because he wanted to help save the Earth," Amethyst adds.

"Just like us!" Citrine finishes. Okenite stays silent, though she nods in agreement with each statement.

Septarian backs off Emerald, heeding her teammate's wishes. Sighing, she closes her eyes and rubs her temples. After a moment of deep thought, she addresses the group. "Okay, here's what's going to happen," she says, turning to Emerald. "Let's recap: You're a fusion of two warriors, yes?".

"Well, yeah," he replies.

"But you can't fight on your own?".

"Nope".

"And un-fusing isn't an option?"

"It isn't".

"Figured so. How long are you content with staying here, then?".

"As long as I need to, I guess".

"Then the plan will go as follows: We're going to help you to help us. Starting tomorrow, we—Rhodonite, Amethyst, Citrine, and myself—will train you to fight. Surely, being a fusion of two of the strongest types of Gems means that you harbor some vast, untapped potential—and if it's there then we can bring it out. It won't be easy—quite the opposite actually—but if you're truly serious about wanting to protect Earth then you'll stick with it. Are we clear?"

Emerald thinks about the implications of the plan for a moment. Intense combat training to unlock some skill he wasn't even sure he possessed—let alone desired—would have been an uncontested "no" for him, under normal circumstances. Yet she was right: Emerald knows he has to help save Earth however possible, even if he has to test his own limits to do it. With this, Emerald makes up his mind. He furrows his brow in a gesture of seriousness, and he nods solemnly as he says "Let's do it".

"Then it's settled," Septarian replies. "Argyles, make the new recruit feel at home. I've other business to attend to". With that, she walks past the group and through the temple door, out of sight. Emerald stands rigid for a moment, coming off the intensity of the confrontation.

"Sorry about her, man," Rhodonite says, breaking him out of his stupor. "She's not that hostile, normally; she's just really on-edge about all this,".

"It's fine, I get it", he replies. "I'm probably not what she was expecting, in her defense".

"Yeah, well, hopefully training will help her warm up to you a bit. But hey, in the meantime, make yourself at home! We'll go see if we can get a room in the temple set up for ya'".

"Oh, thanks!" With that, the four other Argyles walk off into the temple, leaving Emerald alone with his thoughts. He goes to the foot of the giant statue and sits himself up against it, right where he can watch the sunset. As the last traces of the sun pass below the mountains, Emerald wonders to himself if this is all the right move for him, and he hopes that, from all of this, he'll really be able to help save the Earth somehow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Voice Cast  
> -Phil LaMarr as Emerald  
> -Grey DeLisle as Rhodonite  
> -Michaela Dietz as Amethyst  
> -Kristen Schaal as Citrine  
> -Minty Lewis as Okenite  
> -Tilda Swinton as Septarian


	4. The Bigger They Are

Several days pass, and a routine begins to develop for Emerald and the Argyles. Each day starting at sunrise, Emerald’s training would begin by scaling the peaks surrounding the cave, after which he’d have to race Rhodonite down the mountain, usually losing by a vast margin provided he didn’t trip and tumble down the whole way. Next, once he’d climbed back up, strength training with Amethyst and Citrine would begin—though it was less “strength training” and more “suplexing and throwing massive boulders”, most of which were far too heavy for Emerald to reasonably lift, much less throw. Strenuous as it may sound, Emerald never complained—he knew he’d signed onto the training, and he intended to see it through. Moreover, knowing hard physical exertion isn’t exactly Emerald’s forte, the three tried to be as supportive as possible to their new teammate. Whenever Emerald would fall, Rhodonite would be there to help him up and get him to keep running. When he’d find himself under too big of a stone, the Quartzes would cheer him on until he lifted it clear over his head. Occasionally, the four would just forget the workout all together and spend the morning hanging out outside the cave, sharing stories and chatting idly. Truly, it was hardly the crucible of training Septarian had described—that is, until the nightly training with her came around.  


“Look alive, fusion!”. Emerald had himself turned around for a moment, yet as he faces Septarian he’s hit with a swift elbow jab, knocking him off his feet and back into the moment. He lands propped up on his left two arms, and he uses them to push himself up and into the fight once more. Such was the mode of Septarian and Emerald’s training: She’d throw punches, he’d take them and get back up, and it would usually just repeat unit one of them got fed up with the other—a far cry from Emerald’s experience with the others. Moreover, Septarian never let up on him; from the first punch to the last, she fought with all her might, and she expected Emerald to do the same. Unsurprisingly, it was always him that got beaten.  


Nevertheless, Emerald was never one to give up, and soon enough he’s back to trading blows with Septarian. She circles around him and moves in to strike, but Emerald’s quick to cross his front two arms to block her punch. As she’s stepping back, Emerald lowers his guard and throws a quick left-hook. Septarian’s quick to dodge the hit, though, and just as Emerald’s arm is passing her shoulder she grabs it, lifting the larger gem up and over her in one quick movement. He hits the ground with a loud thud, yet before he can rise to his feet Septarian sets her foot on his stomach, keeping him in place. She looks down on him, shooting him a glare cold even by her standards.  


“I think that’s all for tonight”. Septarian sighs and steps off of Emerald, helping him to his feet. He feels as though he owes her an explanation for performing so poorly—normally he could stay up for a little longer than that—and so he tries to justify himself.  


“Sorry, Septa,” he says. She was turned away from him now, arms crossed in her signature dissatisfied manner. “I mean, I’m really trying to do well with this but—“  


“Then why aren’t you?” She turned to face him now, scowling as she had been before.  


“I’m—I’m just not fast enough, y’know?”.  


“That’s Rhodonite’s job to work on, not mine”.  


“No, I mean, I’m just too big—there’s just, like, so much of me that I can’t move quick enough to keep up with you. It’s like my reflexes can’t keep with my body, if that makes sense”.  


“You mean to tell me you think being as massive as you are is a bad thing?  


“It can be a bit of a handicap, yeah”.  


“Handicap, huh?” She looks him up and down, thinking. “Here, step back and watch this”.  


Septarian walks to the middle of the clearing where they’d been fighting, strutting confidently. She reaches the center, closes her eyes, and the gemstone on her nose begins to glow brightly. From it, she pulls out a long rod and points it out in front of her. She opens her eyes, and instantly two crossbars extend out from the rod’s sides, and on its end a gargantuan blade materializes. Like most Gem weapons, it appears perfectly forged and detailed, making it look as graceful and precise as Septarian herself. The similarities didn’t stop there—the sword is nearly as tall and wide as her, too, and it looks to be impossibly heavy and difficult to wield. Yet even so, she holds it before her like it weighs nothing.  


“That’s your weapon?” Emerald exclaims in amazement. “It’s incredible! You can really use something like that?”  


“Certainly,” she replies, swinging the sword up and onto her shoulder, carrying a twinge of pride with the gesture. “It’s what defines me as a warrior—and to a lesser extent, as a person”. Emerald stands puzzled for a moment before Septarian continues. “Back on Homeworld, Septarians like me acted as bodyguards to only the most elite of aristocrats, and even the Diamonds themselves on a few occasions. We were expected to be strong, with quick wits and lightning-fast reflexes—we couldn’t be slow of mind or slow of body. If an elite was attacked, and we couldn’t have stopped it because we just weren’t fast enough, the Diamonds would have our heads. So picture this: I pop out of the ground with this monster: a weapon too big for me to even pick up at the time. I was called a dud—a Gem who would never be able to serve her purpose. They said I’d be shattered within a week”.  


Emerald stands and ponders her story for a moment before saying “Gosh, Septa, I’m sor—“. She stops him mid-sentence, pointing the massive blade directly between his eyes.  


“No,” She roared, appearing to take offense from the condolence. ”I didn’t need to be pitied—what I needed was to do something about it”.  


“Oh, well,” Emerald gently moves the blade down and away from his face. “What did you do?”.  


Septarian smiles. “I’ll tell you what I did. I trained hard, I got stronger, and eventually I learned to wield a sword of this size—“. Faster than Emerald can notice, she wedges her foot underneath a large boulder and kicks it high into the air. She jumps up to meet it just as it falls, and in one swift movement she cleaves the rock into two even hemispheres. She lands in a kneeling position, one arm propping her up and the other holding her sword out to her side. “—and I learned to wield it well, at that”. Just as the two pieces of stone fall to the ground beside her, she stands, phasing her sword away and walking towards Emerald. “My point, fusion, is that nothing has to be a detriment to a warrior. So what if you’re a bit slow & lumbering: Use it to your advantage. Focus on hitting hard and not getting knocked down—no matter how fast an opponent is, they can’t beat something they can’t hurt. But I digress—you get what I’m saying, right?”.  


“Yeah, yeah, of course: You should make what you have a blessing, not a curse,” Thinking about the idea, he pauses briefly. “That’s why you’re training me, right? So I’m not a burden?”.  


“Precisely,” she replies, smiling ever so slightly. “Right then, stew on that for a while, and we’ll pick this up tomorrow. Be ready, though: Next time, I might be using that sword against you”.  


Emerald shudders a bit at the thought, yet he reasons that it’s just a bluff—though with Septarian, he could never be sure. He chuckles nervously, saying “Yeah, I’ll do my best”.  


“Excellent,” She replies, turning and walking towards the temple. “For now, though, let’s take the night to rest a bit”. Realizing how nice a night of relaxing sounds, Emerald follows her into the cave.  


Emerald thinks about it for a moment, and he begins to realize that maybe Septarian wasn’t as bad as he’d thought before. Behind the tough, merciless warrior she makes herself out to be, there really seems to be some goodness to her—or at least the capacity for goodness. What’s more, with what she’d said to Emerald today, he begins to believe she may actually have a little faith in him after all. If only she’d be like that all the time, he thinks to himself. He thinks further, and he really begins to wonder why she isn’t. Surely, there’s a reason beyond acting tough for the sake of acting tough—he reasons it will be revealed eventually, and he decides to leave it as a thought for another day. Yet still, her actions beg the question—  


Suddenly, his train of thought is interrupted as the temple door opens. From it, Rhodonite comes charging out, nearly running into Septarian and Emerald before tripping and falling just behind them. She quickly recovers, jumping to her feet and saying “Oh, good, there you guys are! Sorry, I sorta’ thought I’d have to go find you somewhere”.  


“At ease, soldier” Septarian replies, taking on her signature leader-like tone. She continues, “What’s so urgent?”. Rhodonite remembers her message and, mimicking Septarian’s seriousness, she clears her throat and relays it.  


“We think we found another Gem”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Voice Cast  
> -Phil LaMarr as Emerald  
> -Grey DeLisle as Rhodonite  
> -Tilda Swinton as Septarian


	5. Izakaya no otoko

The two follow Rhodonite into the temple, entering a room Emerald had not yet seen. It takes the form of a large amphitheater, with a dozen or so tiers of seats surrounding a semicircular platform backing up to the room’s far wall. Like most of the temple’s common rooms, it seems much larger than it needed to be, with the ceiling reaching over a dozen meters high and the walls being proportionally wide to accommodate it. Along the walls hang a plethora of maps and banners; old battlegrounds and battle flags, Emerald deduces. He figures it must have been a sort of briefing hall during the Argyles’ halcyon days—that is, if anything about war could be called “halcyon”. Amethyst and Citrine are already sitting at the bottom row of seats, and as Emerald and Septarian join them Rhodonite takes the stage.  
“As I said before,” she begins, taking on a serious, explicative tone, “Based on the latest readings, we may have found another Gem”.

“What makes you think it’s not another monster?”, Septarian interjects, “Or just some larger shards like last time?”. Despite their best efforts, the Argyles hadn’t been able to find any uncorrupted Gems besides Emerald. Time after time they’d gone out to investigate possible leads, yet all they’d ever retrieve were shards or gemstones in bubbles. Nevertheless, they’d continued to search.

“Based on its behavior,” Rhodonite answers, “it at least seems plausible,”. She steps back and closes her eyes, causing the gemstone on her waist to glow softly. From it, a large pink hologram begins to project. It shows what appears to be a map of a city, empty save for a small blinking dot on one of its countless buildings.

Rhodonite continues, “It’s in a populated area, for one—that at least rules out the monster theory. What’s more, it’s on the move; though it only seems to move along streets and into a few buildings—but it always returns back to where it started eventually”.

“Well, it certainly sounds promising”. Septarian pauses, fleshing out a course of action. “Is there anything stopping us from going and talking to them, then?”.

“Doesn’t seem so. I guess the only problem is that none of us know our way around the city”.

“I might. How’s it called?”.

“Tokyo”. It’s Emerald who answers her. Surprised, all four turn to face him.

“Tokyo, Japan” he continues. It had taken him a moment, but after scanning the map Emerald recognizes the city. “I’ve been there a few times before. I mean, it was a hundred or so years ago, granted, but I’m sure it hasn’t changed all that much”. He stands, pointing out a spot on the map right along the coastline. “There’s even a warp pad not far from there, if I remember right”.

Septarian sits in deep thought as Emerald speaks, and as soon as he finishes she stands as well. “Then it’s settled”, she begins, turning to Emerald and Rhodonite, “We three will go see if we can’t find whoever this is”. She turns to Citrine and Amethyst. “You two, stay here and hold down the fort. Keep the cave locked down, but be ready to come meet us if we call for backup—I doubt we will, but still, be ready. Oh, and do tell Okenite where we’ve gone—you know how she worries”.

“Got it!” The two respond in unison, giving a pair of simultaneous thumbs-up.

“Right then,”. Septarian turns back to Emerald and Rhodonite. “Let’s head out”.

. . . 

Just off the banks of Tokyo bay, a warp pad sits idle, only just submerged by the ever-so-slightly rising tide. Silent and steadfast, it stands almost as a symbol of the Gem presence on Earth: what was once something omnipresent and outstanding against its background has now begun to blend in and be overshadowed by the rest of the world. In a way, it’s just a part of the Earth now. Yet just like the Gems, despite staying inconspicuous, it’s very much alive. With a charging whir, the warp pad springs to life, shooting its cyan light into the heavens just as it had in the days of yore. The beam subsides, allowing the water it had displaced to flow back and lick at the ankles of the three Gems it had left in its wake.

The group steps off the pad and onto the shore, taking a moment to look up at the city before them. It’s not what they’d expected—it’s far more. Gargantuan obelisks of buildings and skyscrapers stand high above the trio, their blazing neon signs drowning out the stars and leaving a man-made galaxy in their wake. The metropolitan melody—people, automobiles, the sounds of the city—floats out from the streets and down into the harbor, mingling softly with the gentle sounds of the tide. Still taking in their surroundings, the three walk onto the shore and up to the city’s streets. From there, they realize just how populous the city is. Even from their narrow vantage point, there’s more people than any of them had seen in a long while. People of all shapes and sizes, all races, nations, and creeds, walk together on the sidewalks, tightly pressed together but moving nonetheless. Between them, scores of cars zip by, leaving only their headlights and taillights in their dust, adding them to the artificial galaxy. The three stand for a moment, absorbing the mass of people before them. A chill runs up Emerald’s spine—it reminds him of the spires and temples on Homeworld. It seemed to him as though humans were beginning to catch up with the Gems. Hopefully, they wouldn’t follow in their footsteps.

Septarian breaks the silence between them, turning to Emerald. “You said you know your way around this place?”.

He shakes his head slightly. “It’s changed a bit in the last century”.

“Figured so”. Septarian stands in silence for a moment, re-working her plan.

“Alright,” she continues, “I say we start looking and asking around—by my guess, if there is a Gem around here, someone must know something about them, possibly even their whereabouts. Firstly, though, we should try to blend in a bit”. She turns to Rhodonite, and the two nod in unison. With a quick flash of light, the two shift their forms, changing their outfits from armor into more inconspicuous, prudent dress, complete with long sleeves and hoods to hide their faces. As their glow subsides they quickly adjust their robes, only to be interrupted by Emerald chuckling behind them.

“Guys, guys,” he begins, his laughter subsiding into a mere grin, “I hate to break it to you, but people don’t really dress in robes anymore—certainly not here, anyway”.

Rhodonite turns to argue, taking a slightly sarcastic tone. “Then what would you suggest, Mister Human Expert? We can’t exactly walk around in our armor, now can we?”.

Emerald begins to think up an alternative, but a magazine sitting on the street catches his attention instead. He retrieves it and begins flipping through the pages, and upon flipping to the last page, he hands the magazine to Rhodonite and Septarian. “I can think of a few ideas”.

. . . 

Not far from the harbor, a little bar sits nestled between two more popular establishments along the main street, looking especially dingy next to its more lively neighbors. The inside isn’t much better, either. Whatever lights haven’t gone out flicker slightly, causing the entire bar to be only just dimly lit. A faint odor of cigarette smoke and alcohol hangs in the air. All is quiet, save only for a half-busted television on the wall and some song by “The Philosophy Majors” playing softly on a jukebox in the corner of the room. Not even the people in the bar make much of a sound: most just sit, heads bowed over their glasses. Only the bartender showed his face in full, yet even then he looks as haggard and run-down as the establishment he presides over. Despite the little sounds here and there, silence permeates throughout the room.

The silence is broken as Emerald and the Argyles make their way in, triggering the little bell connected to the door. Their outfits had ended up looking normal enough—Rhodonite and Septarian had chosen fairly plain dresses, Septa’s with a jacket added on, and Emerald had chosen a thick, baggy sweatshirt to hide his extra arms—yet despite their efforts it had proven difficult to make any of them look close to human. A few people in the bar look up at them, wondering at their oddness, before silently continuing to nurse their drinks. Upon re-gaining their low profile, Rhodonite makes her way to the old man at the bar. She’d been deemed the most human-like of the three—at least as far as stature and complexion go—and thus she was picked to speak on their behalf. Upon reaching the counter, she begins to speak to the man in the most charismatic tone she could muster.

“Greetings, fellow human!”, she begins. “We’re here looking for a friend of ours—you wouldn’t happen to know anyone made of light and with a stone at the core of their being, would you? They’re probably very brightly colored, too, but that’s not for sure—Y’know who we’re talkin’ about?”.

The man raises an eyebrow at her, wondering what exactly her deal is. Before either one could say more, Septarian pulls Rhodonite away from the counter and into a huddle.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Septarian roars, but in an effort to not make a scene she lowers her voice to a hushed yell, “You’re supposed to ask him if he knows anything, not tell him we’re Gems! And what’s with the ‘Greetings, human!’ bit? We’re alien enough as it is!”.

“Well I don’t know how humans talk!”, Rhodonite rebuttals, “Listen, if you think you could do better then, by all means, go right ahead and talk to him!”.

“Oh yeah, the giant lady with the geode on her nose is gonna be the one to blend in. Great plan, Rhodo! We’d might as well send the fusion to—”.

Just as Emerald is mentioned, it occurs to the two that he’s detached himself from the huddle and is already up at the bar speaking to the man. They initially motion to stop him, but upon seeing him seemingly converse with the bartender they hang back to see what could happen. Unfortunately, Emerald wasn’t making as much headway as he appeared to be.

“Hey, sorry about my friend there,” he’d begun, chuckling slightly, “she a real joker, isn’t she? Jokes aside, though, we are looking for someone, and we were hoping you could help us out”.

The man looked him up and down as he had with Rhodonite, trying to figure him out. He sighed and explained, “Kiite, watashi wa eigo o hanasu koto ga dekinai, watashi no yūjin. Watashi wa anata to anata no tomodachi ga itte iru koto o rikai shite imasen”. Emerald didn’t know Japanese, but he listened nonetheless just to be polite. The bartender pointed towards the back of the bar, continuing, “Anata ga nozomunara, kare wa eigo o shitte imasu. Kawarini kare ni hanashite kudasai”. As Emerald turns back to see who he was pointing to, the bartender yells towards the back of the room, “Nē, Gan-sama! Korera no yakkaina kankōkyaku o tasukeru koto ga dekimasu ka?”.

From the back of the bar, a voice pipes up, “Hai, dekimasu!”. Emerald picks out the voice—a guy sitting in a booth in the corner of the bar, still looking down like the others. Figuring the guy can help them out somehow, Emerald thanks the bartender (even knowing now that it would go misunderstood) and he motions to his companions to follow him towards their supposed aide.

“Not from around here, are you?” the stranger asks, still not looking up at the trio before him. Emerald looks him over: He appears about as dingy as the rest of the people in the bar, yet certainly less melancholy. His skin is a deep bronze and his long, curly hair is nearly jet black. In his lap is a beaten-up acoustic guitar, its case sitting next to him, and as he speaks he strums it softly and fiddles with the tuners. He wears a tattered old leather jacket and an equally tattered scarf, and underneath it all he wears a dirty t-shirt adorned with a faded yellow star. Emerald thinks it a Crystal Gem emblem at first, but he remembers then that it’s only a human he’s speaking to. He carries with him an air of nonchalant coolness, something Emerald wasn’t quite used to in his new high-strung life.

“Hardly,” Septarian answers, “We’re just here looking for someone, and we were told you’d be of some assistance”.

“Depends on who you’re looking fo—” he’d looked up to face them, but something about what he saw caused him to stop short. His eyes dart to each of them, and he begins to look more nervous with each glance. His nonchalance had all but disappeared.

“Is something wrong?” Septarian looks puzzledly at him, only adding to his nervousness.

“I—I, uh—I have to go,”. The stranger hurriedly gathers his things, shoving his guitar into its case and slinging it over his shoulder. As he makes his way towards the exit, his scarf slips off. He motions to pick it up, but Emerald gets to it before he does and hands it to him politely. The stranger nervously utters a “thank you” before tying the scarf around his neck once more. As he does, however, Emerald notices something. Just for an instant, Emerald sees a triangular gemstone on the stranger’s throat. It’s small, brown and black in color, and fully opaque, making it fairly hard to spot—but Emerald spots it nonetheless. The stranger sees him staring, and he quickly re-ties the scarf, leaves some crumpled bills and coins on the bar, and rushes out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Voice Cast  
> -Phil LaMarr as Emerald  
> -Grey DeLisle as Rhodonite  
> -Michaela Dietz as Amethyst  
> -Kristen Schaal as Citrine  
> -Tilda Swinton as Septarian  
> -Matt Lanter as the Stranger


	6. Tokyo Tsuikyū

"Are you sure about this, Em?"

"Positive". Soon after the stranger had left the bar, Emerald had hurriedly rushed out the door to pursue him, with his friends in tow. He'd explained what he'd seen as they caught up to the stranger, and now they follow him from far enough of a distance not to be noticed among the scores of people on the sidewalk, but close enough that they don't lose sight of their objective.

"What exactly did this gemstone look like?", Septarian asks. Surprisingly, she'd been the most skeptical of Emerald's sighting, though only cautiously so. Being sent on a wild goosechase would greatly impede their investigation-something she wouldn't have the patience for.

"It was, um,". He replays the image in his mind. "Dark brown, with black patches. Opaque, too."

"Doesn't sound like any Gem I know. I swear, Fusion, if we're just following a human right now-"

"Septa', c'mon," Rhodonite interjects. "It's the best lead we've had so far. I say we give it a shot-Emerald might be onto something here".

"Fine. But if he isn't a Gem, don't say I didn't tell you so". Just as Septarian utters the word "Gem", the stranger turns his head back towards the group, his eyes wide with fear and apprehension. The three had gotten caught up in speaking to each other, and they hadn't realized they'd gotten just a bit too close for comfort. He quickly turns back and continues walking, now with a more hurried pace. The three following him refocus themselves, and together they continue their pursuit. For another few minutes-though it feels much longer-the chase continues. Every few blocks, the stranger turns to view his pursuers, becoming more visibly anxious with each backward glance. The Argyles do their best to remain hidden, yet even in the crowd of people on the street they stick out like a sore thumb, and with each look back they reassure the stranger that he's being followed.

All at once, the stranger seems to decide enough is enough. As he walks past a small stack of tin trash cans along a building's wall, in one quick motion he pulls the tower down onto the sidewalk, spilling cans and rubbish alike onto the street and blocking the Argyles' path. Instantly, he bolts down the street, knocking pedestrians every which way. Caught off guard but undeterred, Septarian and Rhodonite vault over the pile and run after him, leaving Emerald to follow them as he awkwardly fumbles over the garbage. He catches up soon enough-the early-morning runs with Rhodo were beginning to pay off-and as the three run after the stranger Emerald speaks.

"Are you sure we shouldn't just," He pauses, attempting to catch his breath, "leave him alone? I think we're only scaring him more".

"That's precisely why we've got to catch up to him, Fusion" Septarian's voice remains calm and collective, showing no signs of exertion. "He's scared of us for some reason-and I intend to find out why".

The stranger leads them towards a hulking mass of lights and sound-a sort of clearing in the dense jungle of the city: Shibuya Crossing, Emerald recognizes. It's then that he realizes the stranger's plan: He must be trying to escape into the crowd. Seeing this as well, Rhodonite and Septarian pick up their pace to close the gap, Emerald following just behind them. Just as the stranger reaches the intersection, however, the lights change, and the flood of pedestrians is replaced by a flood of vehicles. The stranger stops short, and it appears to the Argyles that he's as good as caught. Yet the stranger does the unthinkable: With one final look back at the trio, he darts out into the intersection, only just dodging the first few cars. The rest skid to a halt and lay on their horns, but he jumps up on some here, slides across a few hoods there, and in an instant he's past the calamity and running down the sidewalk opposite his pursuers. Awestruck for but a moment, the Argyles are quick to pursue him: Septarian goes across the intersection through the stranger's path, and Rhodonite and Emerald go around right and left in order to cut him off. The three convene back on the sidewalk, and just as they prepare to chase the stranger further they see him take a sharp turn into an alleyway-no doubt, he thinks he's in the clear. Septa holds up her hands, stopping the two Gems beside her. She walks slowly and quietly towards the alleyway, and Rhodonite and Emerald follow suit.

The three press themselves against the walls leading to the alley, and with Septarian's signal they turn to meet their target. He himself is pressed up against the back of the alleyway, panting heavily in both fear and fatigue. He'd had his guitar case open, and from it he'd drawn something long and thin-too dark to be fully seen, but definitely not his guitar. Upon seeing his pursuers, he attempts to make a run for a fire escape bolted to one of the walls, but Septarian's shout interrupts him.

"Stop!" Her booming voice echoes off the buildings' walls, making it sound more demanding that she'd hoped. In a softer voice, she explains, "We only wish to talk-that's all".

The stranger's expression shifts from one of fear to one of anger. "You honestly think I'm gonna fall for that? I don't wanna hear anything you have to say-I know exactly what you are!" Just as he speaks the last few words, he raises the object he'd retrieved from the guitar case and reaches into his scarf. A muffled hum is heard as something under the scarf glows, and the stranger pulls something from beneath the fabric. Before anyone has a chance to react, something hits the wall closest to the Argyles, only just missing Emerald's head. It's an arrow: brown and black in color, with a perfectly sharpened tip-too perfect to be man-made. Just as they take notice of it, it vanishes with a glow and a puff of smoke. The three look back at the stranger, only to see him hopping over the top of the fire escape and onto the roof of the adjacent building. With a muffled grumble, Septarian leaps onto the side of the building, wall-jumping up to the roof. Rhodonite follows suit, and the two continue the chase. Emerald elects to take the fire escape.

Emerald catches up soon enough, though keeping up was proving more and more difficult. The stranger now had them running along rooftops, parkouring across the concrete and making jumps across the gaps between buildings, sometimes only just barely landing on the other side. Yet, of course, they soon run out of buildings. With one final push, the stranger leaps across a gap onto a somewhat shorter rooftop. He underestimates the drop, causing him to stumble and roll as he lands. Just as he gets up, Septarian and Rhodonite are upon him, with Emerald still at the higher ledge. The stranger looks for a way out, but around him he sees only roofs too high to jump to. Below him, only the concrete sidewalk-too far down to land unscathed. Reality sets in: he's cornered.

"Don't be alarmed," Septarian says to him, trying to stay calm. "We just-"

"Don't be alarmed?". The stranger turns to face her, his face and words carrying the same bitterness. "You three chase me through half 'a this city, make me run into oncoming traffic, chase me up a ten-story building-and I'm supposed to not be alarmed!?".

Septarian realizes he's right, cursing herself for taking the chase this far. "We apologize. We just need to talk-we mean you no harm".

He laughs an angry, sardonic laugh. "I believe that as much as much I believe your stupid human get-ups-looks like ya fished those things outta some gutter somewhere". Rhodonite and Septarian shoot a glare back towards Emerald, who only shrugs in response. Sighing, Septa phases back into her original outfit, her comrades following suit. "Like I said, lady," the stranger continues, "I ain't buying any 'a your shtick. Talk yourselves up all you want," still clutching the bow, he reaches into his scarf and withdraws another arrow. "I know a Homeworlder when I see one-and no matter what you say, no matter what you do, I'm not goin' back".

"We're not with Homeworld!" Rhodonite steps in, attempting to talk some sense into the stranger. "Please, just hear us out! We don't want to fight you if we don't have to-".

"Liar!". Before Rhodonite can continue, the stranger raises his bow and fires. She dodges just in time, and the arrow lodges itself in the wall behind her. In seconds the stranger is upon her, wielding his bow like a massive sword. Rhodo ducks and rolls out from under him, summoning her tonfa as she gets to her feet. The stranger turns and swings at her again, but Rhodo catches the bow on her weapons, pushing it away from her. The stranger swings again, this time at her legs. She jumps to avoid it, and the stranger sees his opening. Instantly he swings again, hooking Rhodo's ankle between the bow and its string. He pulls her feet out from under her, swinging her off the roof and into the wall of an adjacent skyscraper, and she falls down between the buildings. The stranger turns back to the remaining two gems, who stare at him with a look of shock.

"You shouldn't have done that". Septarian's expression hardens, and from her Gem she draws her sword's grip, its massive blade materializing a second later. The stranger tears off his scarf, revealing the gemstone on his collar. From it, he draws three more arrows and fires them in succession. Septa rushes him, blocking the projectiles with the broad side of her sword. She swings the blade down onto the concrete roof, only just missing the stranger as he darts away. She swings again and again, left and right, but he dodges each hit. He has the advantage now, Emerald ponders, looking down on the battle. He's smaller and faster-and with a lighter weapon, at that. There's no way Septa could land a hit. There's no way I could land a hit, he thinks.

"Any time now!" Septarian shouts, looking up at Emerald. Snapping out of his thoughts, Emerald jumps down onto the roof, landing with an audible thud. The stranger was now taking more advantage of his speed, darting across the roof and firing quick shots at Septa. Seeing Emerald, he turns and fires again, purposefully missing in order to catch the larger Gem off guard. He rushes Emerald, but Septa gets to the stranger first, attempting another swing with the sword. He turns and jabs her stomach with the bow, knocking her back. With a swift leg sweep, he knocks Septa off her feet, sending her falling off the same ledge Rhodo had fallen from.

Now, alone on the rooftop with the stranger, Emerald steps back nervously. All instincts tell him to run, but there's nowhere he can go. Even if he could run, he thought, he'd still be too slow to-he holds that thought, remembering something. The training with Septarian from earlier in the night comes back to him, and he remembers what she'd advised him to do. "Focus on hitting hard and not getting knocked down", she'd said, and having no other options Emerald decides to try that. Instantly, the stranger rushes him, but Emerald stands firm. He tries to jab Emerald with the bow's end, but Emerald braces for the impact, and it only succeeds in pushing him back an inch. The stranger tries to swing at Emerald, but he puts up his arms to block and holds his ground. Frustrated, the stranger throws a punch, hoping it will have some effect. It doesn't; He hits Emerald square in the stomach, but he stands tall nonetheless. Seeing his opportunity, Emerald quickly grabs the stranger's fist and pulls him close, seizing the stranger's other arm and holding both behind his back. With Emerald's third arm, he gets the stranger in a headlock and lifts him off the ground. The stranger struggles for a moment, but something causes him to stop. He tugs on Emerald's left arm. Then his right. Then he moves his neck, feeling the third extremity.

"Wait, hold on-do you have three arms?". His speech is a tad strained, thus Emerald cautiously loosens his grip on the stranger's neck.

"Four, actually". Emerald taps the stranger on the shoulder with his fourth hand. He turns to see it, and Emerald waves back at him.

"But then, you must be a-".

"A fusion? Mhm".

"Yeah, but...but that doesn't make any sense! Homeworld doesn't allow fusion-not like that-".

"Exactly. That's why I'm a Crystal Gem". Hearing those words seems to spark something in the stranger, and he stops struggling altogether. Cautiously, Emerald lets him go.

"So then...you all weren't lying?"

"We tried to tell you, but-" As Emerald utters the word "we", he remembers his comrades, and he runs to the ledge where they'd fallen. With a sigh of relief, he sees the both of them standing on a small balcony, poised to jump up onto the roof at a moment's notice.

"We were planning on surprising him-y'know, in case you got your butt kicked," Rhodonite explains as Emerald hoists her and Septarian up onto the roof, "But, even better, it looks like you sorted everything out! Ain't that right, Mr. Arrow Man?". The stranger nods, still somewhat shocked and embarrassed.

"Which reminds me," Septa chimes in, "Who are you?"

"Mahogany Obsidian," he says. "Gan, for short".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Voice Cast  
> -Phil LaMarr as Emerald  
> -Grey DeLisle as Rhodonite  
> -Tilda Swinton as Septarian  
> -Matt Lanter as Mahogany Obsidian


	7. The Expatriate

“Well, let’s see, where to start,” After their altercation on the rooftop, Gan had invited the Argyles back to his home, mostly in order to explain himself in full. “Home” was a generous term for it, though: in reality, it was but a small apartment that Gan, as he’d put it, “crashed” at from time to time. Then again, even the term “apartment” could be considered generous. It was a shabby little space, with barely enough room for all four gems to sit in comfortably. Plastered about its walls were a plethora of posters for various bands popular at the time: “Led Zeppelin”, “Pink Floyd”, “Rush”—the list went on and on. Most of the apartment, in fact, was dedicated to music; besides a few essential furnishings, the majority of free space was taken up by a menagerie of musical instruments, ranging from a collection of guitars to a full drum set. Besides that, only a couch furnishes the room, and despite its small size the Argyles take a seat on it, having to squeeze together more than they’d like. Opposite them, Gan sits at the drum set, telling his tale.

“It was about the middle of the war, when I was made,” He pulls down the neck of his shirt, revealing his gemstone. When shown in the light, its shape becomes clear: It’s a carved arrowhead, like humans had used in times of old. It was the least gem-like gemstone any of the argyles had seen. Unlike their perfectly polished facets, it looks rather rough and tumble, even still bearing some of the rough edges from when it was chiseled out. Gan smiles, evidently taking some pride in the Argyles’ wonderment.

“Basically, I was made by accident: somehow, this arrowhead got buried near a Kindergarten, and by some sorta’ fluke I popped out right behind some big ol’ Quartz—so they tell me, anyway. I thought for sure I was gonna get shattered—I mean, I probably was thinking so. I don’t even remember what it was like, really, just coming into existence with no warning like that. Either way, obviously, I didn’t get shattered—the kindergartners had another idea for me. As you can see, I pull off the human look pretty well”. He was right: Save for the gemstone on his collar, Gan’s freckled bronze skin and brown hair, coupled with his fairly average height and build made him nearly unmistakeable from a normal human. “And, at the time, the Crystal Gems had started recruiting humans to help ‘em fight Homeworld—lotta good it did ‘em, though. Even so, knowing that some people might have info on the rebels, Homeworld basically made me a spy. They taught me to fight, taught me all they knew about Earth, and they just sent me out into the world to find the rebels.

“At first, that’s how it went: I’d go around, act like a human, learn their ways, and then I’d report back to Homeworld about whatever I found. But then, as I went, something happened—I fell in love. The more I learned about humans, the more I grew to respect them; I wanted to be like them. It’s like—” he pauses, trying and failing to find the words, “we’re like rocks, y’know? I mean, we’re literally rocks, yeah, but...but, um...but humans are like flowers, y’know what I mean?”. Septa and Rhodo didn’t; as Gan speaks, their faces contort into looks of confusion, struggling to understand just as hard as Gan is struggling to explain. Emerald, however, seems to understand perfectly.

“I know exactly what you mean,” Emerald pipes up, “We’re rocks: we’re static, stoic things that never change: we could sit around for an eternity and stay exactly the same. But humans are like flowers: they’re always growing and changing, living and dieing—their lives are short, but in that time they live more than we could ever hope to”. Emerald had thought a similar thought many times before.

“Yeah, yeah!” Gan’s eyes seem to light up—Emerald figures it’s the first time anyone’s understood what he meant in a while. “And, yeah, that’s basically what got me to love humans so much—but it’s also what made me hate Gems. At some point—I don’t even remember when, it was so long ago—I just gave it all up. One day I just decided I’d rather be a human—the way I see it, Gems tend to end up destroying anything that lives.” he chuckles a bit, “I don’t even think we fully understand what life is—not as much as a human does. That’s probably why Homeworld...did what they did” He stops, evidently reliving the end of the war in his mind. He shivers for a moment before continuing. “Long story short, I was lucky enough to not be formed when it happened—somehow, I survived. I figured that all other Gems were either shattered or turned into whatever those...monsters are”. He smiles tentatively at the group before him. “But it looks like I wasn’t the only one who survived, huh? Guess you guys won after all!”.

The Argyles exchange worried glances between each other for a moment before Septarian corrects him. “Not quite”.

They explain their situation. With every word, Gan’s already cracking facade of confidence seems to shatter further. By the time they finish, he sits dumbfounded, his head shaking in his hands. With a sigh, he looks back up at the gems before him. “So we’re all doomed, then?”.

“We don’t have to be,” Rhodonite pipes up. “We’re sure that, if we survived the war, some others did, too. With whatever people and means we can find, we’re gonna try and fend off Homeworld again,” she gestures towards Emerald, “This big guy was the first one we recruited, and we were hoping you could be the second. It won’t be easy, and we certainly don’t blame you if you refuse, but with as capable of a fighter as you are, well...we could really use your help”.

Gan pauses to think for a moment, glancing up at the Argyles, then back down at the floor. He sighs again, throwing his hands into the air. “Sure, why not? Not doin’ anything here, after all”.

“Thank you”. Rhodo smiles before pulling Gan to his feet. “So, you wanna go now? We can get you a room set up in our temple, and—”.

“Woah, woah, you didn’t say I’d have to move out!” Gan interrupts, “I mean, I still gotta move all my stuff, find someone to house sit, I gotta—”

Suddenly, a harsh banging is heard on the apartment’s door, and a low, garbled voice is heard from behind it. “Gan! Anata no yachin wa okurete imasu! Watashi no okane wa dokodesu ka?!”

Something that the voice had said strikes fear into Gan. “Y’know what, I changed my mind, let’s go now!”.

. . .

Some time later, the four Gems materialize upon the warp pad outside the Argyle base. In their arms are various items hastily taken from Gan’s apartment: the three smallest of the group carry portions of Gan’s collection of instruments and equipment, while Emerald carries Gan’s couch. It was a pain to get it out the window—they couldn’t use the front door, what with Gan’s angry landlord in the way—but somehow everything and everyone made it out unscathed. As the four walk towards the cave, Amethyst and Citrine appear at the door, and they take the couch off of Emerald’s hands. The other Argyles say something about setting up Gan’s temple room, but Emerald only half hears them. At the moment, he’s more concerned with observing Gan. After handing off his handful of items to the other Gems, he’d gone and sat at the edge of the cliff, just beyond the warp pad.

“Y’know, it’s crazy,” he says as Emerald takes a seat next to him. Gan had been looking up at the night sky, seemingly wondering at something. Its well past midnight now; the moon, having waned into a new moon days ago, is nowhere to be seen. Nothing but the dim light of the inside of the Argyles’ cave is there to outshine the stars, and so they glow especially bright, like millions of tiny eyes staring down at the two Gems on the cliff. “I lived in Tokyo so long, I…I forgot just how many stars there are,” he chuckles a bit, “Hard to believe that our home planet’s up there somewhere, isn’t it?”.

“No,” Emerald says, still looking up at the sky as Gan had been. “Not our home planet—just where we came from. The way I see it, Earth’s our Homeworld now”.

“Guess so, yeah,” the two sit in silence for a moment longer before Gan speaks again. “Do you really think we have a chance to beat Homeworld?”.

“I...don’t know, for sure,” Emerald pauses, before turning to Gan with a smile. “But hey, I’d say it’s something worth trying for—and it’s like you said, it’s not like we’ve got anything else going on” Emerald’s sarcastic nonchalance elicits a laugh from Gan, and the two chuckle at it for a bit. Eventually, Emerald gets up, tapping Gan on the shoulder and gesturing to the Temple. Just as the first light of the sun begins to show over the horizon, the two walk to the cave, sealing it behind them and leaving the cliffside barren once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Voice Cast  
> -Phil LaMarr as Emerald  
> -Grey DeLisle as Rhodonite  
> -Tilda Swinton as Septarian  
> -Matt Lanter as Mahogany Obsidian


	8. Ametrine

Some days later, once Gan had moved in fully and integrated himself into the Argyles’ lifestyle, everything seems to return to its status quo. Emerald’s training goes on as it had been, and through the days he gets stronger and stronger. On this day, his training with Amethyst and Citrine had ended early, and now the three of them sit along a cliffside, chatting idly and sharing stories. Their conversation topics were usually the same: their times in the war, what they thought of the others, things like that. Yet sometimes, when they really got into it, their talks could and would go a bit deeper.

“How do you do it, Em?” Amethyst asks.

“Do what?” he replies, though he figures he knows the answer already.

“Y’know, fusion! Like, how’re you able to keep it up so long?” she explains.

“Yeah!” Citrine adds, “I mean, staying fused for so long, coupled with all the stuff we put you through—it must take some effort, doesn’t it? What keeps you from splitting up?”

Emerald chuckles a bit. He always liked how curious the Quartzes were about him being a perma-fusion, often asking him little questions like ‘How does it feel when so and so?’ or ‘What was it like when whatever?’. It’s kind of sweet, in a way, and he always tries to answer their questions to the best of his ability. “Well see, that’s just it: once you’ve done it for as long as I have, it just sorta comes naturally—I’ve forgotten what it was like to be split up at all”. His answer is met with a few oohs and ahs from the two, and he smiles at the admiration.

“But like,” Citrine continues, trying to find the words, “What keeps you together without having to try?”

Emerald had a good answer for this one. With a smile, he gives it: “Love”. The Quartzes exchange puzzled looks, queueing Emerald to continue. “Chrome and Prasi spent their whole lives together: they fought together, lived together, laughed and cried together—they were the best of friends. But there was something more to them, too: Over all the years, they formed a sort of connection. They relied on each other, cared for each other; they completed each other. In that way, they fell in love, so much so that they couldn’t imagine being apart—and so, here I am”.

“Wow”. The two sit awestruck, evidently enraptured by Emerald’s tale. Emerald smiles at the two, but as he does he notices something. Sometime during his story, the two Quartzes had started holding hands. Moreover, Citrine seemed to be nestled in close to Amethyst, almost embracing her. It reminds him of Chrome Tourmaline and Prasiolite in their early days—in fact…

“Say,” Emerald asks, “Have you two ever fused before?” Amethyst and Citrine look at each other, blushing, before breaking out into stifled giggles, evidently sharing in some inside joke. The two settle down to explain, but before they can they’re interrupted. From the ledge above, Okenite calls down to them.  
“Ame-thyyyst! Citriiine! Whe—oh, there you are!” She jumps and floats down to them, touching down on the tips of her toes. “Pardon me for intruding, but Septarian has called everyone the temple amphitheatre—from the sound of it, there’s another Gem to recruit!”

. . .

Far from the Argyles’ temple, a warp pad activates, and in the wake of its cerulean beam Septarian, Rhodonite, Emerald, Amethyst, and Citrine appear. Around them is a vast, hilly desert, its dusty ground permeated only by a few large crevices scattered about the surface. The five of them step off the warp pad, scanning their surroundings.

“Any sign of Tiger Iron?” Septarian asks, her hand shielding her eyes from the blazing sun as she looks across the horizon.

“Nope, doesn’t seem so”. Rhodonite fiddles with the dials on her visor, trying to locate the Gem. Septarian had described them as such: Tiger Iron, as she’d put it, was among the few fusions to fight alongside the Argyles, and as a commander at that. At the time of the war’s end, he’d been aiding a team of Crystal Gems and Argyles alike in taking a stronghold of the Diamonds, right near this desert. Like most people after that, though, he was never heard from again. Nevertheless, the Argyles had high hopes when they discovered two Gems in the area he’d last been seen. Tiger Iron was notoriously resilient, by their account, so there was at least a chance he’d survived.

Suddenly, a violent tremor shakes the earth beneath the Argyles, knocking most of them off their feet. As it subsides, an alarm on Rhodo’s visor alerts her of something. “Wait, no, I got him! He’s...right underneath us!”. Just as she finishes speaking, the tremor continues, and a dull, echoed noise is heard coming from a larger fissure a few feet away. Septarian notices it first, and from it she gets and idea. Summoning her sword, she rams the blade into the crack, causing a more powerful quake. All around them the earth begins to crumble and fall away, pushing them back towards the warp pad. As the earthquake subsides and the ground settles, the now canyon-sized hole in the desert becomes clear. In the center of it something large and imposing sits, seemingly shying away from the sunlight.

Looking down into the pit, Septarian sighs and phases away her sword. “I knew it was too good to be true”. As she speaks, the thing in the canyon gets up and looks around, investigating its surroundings. It’s truly a beast to behold: it stands nearly double any of their heights, with enough bulk to keep it looking sturdy. It walks on six legs, each covered with matted, dusty patches of fur along its striped brown and gold skin. An equally ratty mane circles its head, which itself only consists of a giant, fanged mouth and two rhinoceros-like horns. All along its body are large armor plates, like those of an armadillo. It’s a chimera if ever there was one, Emerald thinks—and as he notices the two gemstones on its temples, he realizes it must be Tiger Iron.

The beast notices the Gems on the rim of the canyon and it roars in their direction, slobber running down its large canines and dust flying off of it wherever it moves. With one quick movement it curls into a ball and dashes like a massive boulder towards the Argyles. It undershoots its approach, however, and with a loud thud it crashes into the canyon wall, rolling back down to the middle of the bowl and recovering from its head-on collision. Disoriented but not deterred, it tries again, failing once more in a similar fashion.

“Poor guy...” Rhodonite’s voice carries with it not just pity, but some genuine sadness on her part as well. All the Argyles stand in silence for a moment, recalling their fond memories of their fallen comrade.

Septarian eventually breaks the silence. “Well, while we’re here, I say we try and bubble him—no sense in letting him hurt himself like this,” she turns to Amethyst and Citrine, smiling a bit. “Would you two care to do the honors?”

The Quartzes’ faces light up, evidently excited about the prospect of a fight. They respond in unison with an excited ‘Yeah!’, punctuated by an audible high-five.

Septarian can’t help but chuckle a bit at their enthusiasm. “Well, get to it then!”

With one more excited cry from each, the two roll into their own purple and yellow spin-dashes, speeding down and around the canyon’s walls in a spiral path before drifting to a stop. The two move opposite each other, surrounding the corrupted Tiger Iron. Citrine summons her lasso, twirling it about at her side. Amethyst follows suit, holding her mace up over her shoulder, preparing to swing. The two exchange determined grins, signalling that they’re ready to strike at any given moment. The monster between them looks around, confused, before letting out another earth-shattering roar at the two Quartzes.

At the sound of the roar, Emerald worries a bit. “Septa,” he asks, “are you sure they can take this thing alone?”

“You’ve obviously never seen them fight before,” she answers.

“Don’t you worry about them, Em,” Rhodonite adds, grinning slightly at Emerald’s naive concern. “Alone, yeah, they’d probably get their butts kicked—but they’re not alone. They have each other, after all; and when these two work together, they can take on anything. Just watch”.

Just as Rhodo finishes, the Quartzes make their move. Amethyst spin-dashes to the right, catching the beast’s attention. She circles around it to try and provoke it into moving. It works; the beast curls into a ball and dashes after Amethyst. She slides to a stop, allowing the beast to pounce on her. Before it can, however, Citrine lassoes one of its legs. Caught off guard, the beast turns its attention away from Amethyst for but a moment, allowing her to knock it back towards the center of the canyon with her mace and dash away. The beast lands on its back with a thud, and due to its immense size it struggles for a moment to get back up. Citrine takes this time to dash across the walls of the canyon, hog-tieing the beast’s legs together. Amethyst joins up with her, and together the two begin their finishing move. They go around the canyon’s rim a few times more, picking up speed, before going over the top of the canyon and into the air. As they rise, they join hands, and as soon as they start to descend they roll into a powerful, two-person spin dash, glowing bright with a gold and violet aura. Like a comet striking the earth, the two Quartzes ram into the bound monster, seemingly destabilizing its form in a massive cloud of smoke and dust. Amethyst and Citrine become visible first, guffawing heartily at their victory.

From the top of the canyon, Rhodonite cheers for her comrades and, even though the violence of the display made him cringe a bit, Emerald claps along with her. Septarian hushes the both of them, however, after peering a bit closer into the cloud of dust, stating, “I don’t think they’re done just yet”. As the smoke clears, so too does the meaning of the statement. On either side of Amethyst and Citrine are two more corrupted Gems—the Gems that made up Tiger Iron. One is a typical corrupted jasper: Large, bulky, and covered in thick white hair and banded markings. The other is a different sort of animal entirely: It has the appearance of an ant at first glance, yet upon closer inspection it’s more of a strange, metallic rhinoceros beetle “How strange—I thought for sure Tiger Eye and Martite’s forms would dissipate when their fusion was destroyed”.

“Should we go and help them?” Emerald asks, a twinge of worry in his voice.

“No, no—I think they have their own way of winning”. Septarian grins at the thought of something, but the humor is lost on Emerald.

“Wait, what do you mean?”

“You should know best, Fusion”. It’s with this that Emerald realizes what she means. Immediately, he turns to face the two Quartzes.

By now, the two beasts have Amethyst and Citrine backed up against each other in the center of the canyon. The two press against each other for a moment, and almost instinctively they clasp their hands together. At this, their gemstones begin to glow. The two look surprised for a moment, but in realizing what it means they exchange excited grins. They make their move; Amethyst twirls Citrine around to face her, and the two begin their fusion dance. They dance exactly as they had fought: perfectly in sync. They stick close to each other, daring not to separate themselves. They move so fluidly and effortlessly that they seem to move as one. Most importantly, however, they look to genuinely enjoy themselves. With one final twirl, Amethyst pulls Citrine in close to her, and their bodies become enveloped by a harsh, white light. Their forms combine together, first into an amorphous ball, then into a more humanoid shape. The instant their fusion takes form, it explodes out in a violent cacophony of light and kicked-up dust, and as the dust settles the fusion steps into view.

Truly, their fusion is a model one. She stands nearly as tall as Emerald, though only just shorter. Unlike Emerald, her physique is nearly perfect; no extra limbs or crazy deformities to be seen. Just like her component Gems, her hair is long and flowing, spiked in some spots like Amethysts, while softer and more rounded in others, like Citrine’s. Even her outfit is a perfect combination of the two Quartzes, combining their two partial sets into thick, protective body armor. It’s only her eyes that are imperfect; Rather than merely obtaining an extra eye or two, the fusion’s eyes had combined into one strange, almost unsettling disc-shaped sclera, which itself contained four pupils that almost looked like they had broken irises. Beyond that, however, she looks nearly impeccable.

The fusion looks around for a moment, then looks down at herself, almost surprised at existing once again. She smiles, quietly chuckling to herself before stating “It’s good to be back” in a resonant yet not entirely threatening voice. From her two gemstones, the fusion summons her weapons: two meteor hammers, one in each hand. She smiles up at the two corrupted Gems, who had backed up opposite the fusion, almost intimidated by her. She begins to swing the two weapons at her sides until each one is moving too fast to fully see, with an audible whooshing noise emanating from each. In an instant, she takes action. The fusion curls herself into a ball and spin-dashes at the monsters, her two weapons hitting them both simultaneously and knocking them back a bit. She comes around for another pass, this time stopping short and letting the hammers fly, hitting each of the monsters hard and throwing them back towards the canyon walls. The two shake off their injuries and let out loud roars at the fusion, who responds only by smiling wider. The two monsters attempt to rush her, but she spin-dashes out of the way before they can reach her. They turn to try again, but as they’re caught off guard the fusion throws her hammers out and around their legs, grappling together the two backmost limbs of each and pulling them off of their feet. Still holding onto the two ropes, she dashes over the two beasts pressing them further into the dusty ground. She dashes all the way up to the rim of the canyon before coming back around and doing the same in the other direction, running over the two monsters again with every pass. In this way, like a skater in a half-pipe, she picks up speed with every dash back and forth, until one final pass where she rockets herself into the air, dragging the two tied beasts up with her. She pulls the two in close, and just as she’d done when she was separated, she rockets back down to earth, throwing the two monsters down before her to break her fall. She lands with an earth-shaking thud and a puff of smoke, both from the dusty landscape and the destabilizing forms of the corrupted Gems.

This time, she doesn’t even wait for the smoke to clear. The fusion suddenly dashes up over the rim of the canyon and lands in front of the Argyles, two bubbled gemstones in her hands. She taps the tops of each, and they’re whisked away back to the Argyles’ temple. The instant her hands are free, she throws them into the air and lets out an excited “Whoo!”, and Rhodonite and Emerald follow suit out of admiration.

“Ametrine, that was awesome!” Rhodo exclaims, throwing her arms around the fusion.

“I know, right! I was all like, ‘Wham!’, and they were like, ‘Rhaargh!’, and I—” Ametrine rambled on for a bit longer in a similar fashion, evidently quite giddy about her accomplishment. Emerald couldn’t help but chuckle a bit at her enthusiasm—she really was Amethyst and Citrine’s fusion!

“Yes, well done you two,” Septarian interjects, followed by a short silence. “You know you can un-fuse now, right?”

“Oh right, yeah!” Ametrine remembers. She immediately glows white again before separating back into the two Quartzes, who immediately fall to the ground. They blush and exchange glances before breaking out into laughter, punctuated by a final high-five.

“Alright then, looks like we’re done here! What say we head back to the temple?” All nod in agreement, and with that they walk back towards the warp pad. Emerald’s thoughts still dwell on Ametrine, though, namely one thing about her that he can’t get out of his mind:

She looks like she should be a perma-fusion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Voice Cast  
> -Phil LaMarr as Emerald  
> -Grey DeLisle as Rhodonite  
> -Michaela Dietz as Amethyst  
> -Kristen Schaal as Citrine  
> -Minty Lewis as Okenite  
> -Tilda Swinton as Septarian  
> -Octavia Spencer as Ametrine


	9. The Forgotten Pharaoh

"Oh, hell no!"

Some time after the Tiger Iron mission, Septarian had called the Argyles to the temple amphitheater once again for another recruitment mission—supposedly one with a higher chance of being fruitful. Upon entering the amphitheater, Emerald is greeted by these harsh words from Gan, followed by some attempt at consolation from Septarian.

"I know it sounds risky, but—"

"Risky? I think 'downright stupid' works better. C'mon, Septa, you and I both know she's only ever looked out for herself,"

"What I know is that she cares about the Earth just as much as any of us—and I say it's one of the best shots we have at finding another ally"

"Well, what I know is that the moment we set her free she's gonna shatter the lot of us!"

Before their argument can escalate further, Emerald steps between the two, pushing them away from each other. "Whatever this is about," he says, attempting to calm the situation, "I'm sure fighting over it isn't necessary".

"That being said, what is all this about?" Rhodonite asks as she, the Quartzes, and Okenite enter, taking seats at the bottom steps of the amphitheater. Seeing that all are now present, Septarian takes the stage to explain.

"Well, on a recent scouting mission back near Tokyo, Gan and I came across this," she holds out a clipping of what appears to be a newspaper article, though only its headline is fully intact:

現在エジプトのカイロに展示されている世界最大の蛇紋石

Next to the headline is a partially cut off, grainy picture of an ornate necklace with what appeared to be a large cabochon as its centerpiece.

"It says," Gan explains, "That some new, huge serpentine gemstone is on display in Cairo—Egypt's capital".

Rhodonite gasps slightly. "Do you think it's her?"

"I'm sure it's her," Gan answers, turning back to Septarian, "Just as I'm sure we shouldn't go find her," the two gems glare at each other for a moment before Emerald speaks.

"Forgive me, but, who're we talking about here?"

Gan takes on a serious tone as he explains, "Pharaoh Serpentine—that's who we're talking about" Picking up on his seriousness, Emerald listens closely, "Thousands of years ago, right about when the war was starting, a civilization of humans was just starting to sprout up along the Nile river. One Gem decided it needed a ruler; using their beliefs and naivete to her advantage, Serpentine took over as their god-king—their Pharaoh. For a hundred years she enslaved them; forcing them to build monuments to her, killing who she wanted when she wanted—she did as she pleased with them. They were like toys to her. I saw it all; the Diamonds had me there collecting intel on both the Humans and Serpentine alike, and so I was made to watch them all suffer. It was...horrible". He sighs, seemingly recalling the horror of it all.

"What happened to her?" Emerald asks.

"She got what she deserved," Gan continues, "Eventually, the rebels had enough of her enslaving people. Combined with thousands of humans, the Crystal Gems took down Serpentine, sealing her in a golden necklace," he gestures to the newspaper, "that necklace".

Emerald thinks for a moment about the story before turning to Septarian. "So then, why do you want to release her?"

Septarian takes on a serious tone of her own. "For all of the terrible things that she is, she's at least loyal to the Earth—and, even better, she's in opposition to Homeworld. I think that, given proper persuasion, we can get her to help us. It's a gamble, for sure, but she may be willing to put aside the past in favor of saving the planet".

Everyone goes silent for a moment, thinking about the implications of the mission. "Are we really so desperate for allies?" Okenite asks in her typical, quiet voice, "Have we no other definite options?"

"I'm afraid not," Septarian answers, "It's either this, or we spend another month finding nothing but shards and monsters. Really, this is the only certain lead we have right now"

Everyone goes silent again. It's true; at their current pace, they wouldn't have much of an army by the time the Homeworlders reached them. It doesn't seem good, Emerald thinks, but it is their best shot. The Quartzes speak first, stating in unison, "We're in".

"Yeah, same here," Rhodonite speaks up, "It sucks, but I guess it's our best shot"

"I think it could work," Emerald states, cautious optimism evident in his voice.

"Alright, fine, if everyone else is doing it, I guess I will too," Gan states, "But when this all goes wrong, don't forget that I told you so".

"Then it's settled," Septarian declares, turning to Okenite "Watch the temple for us while we're gone. Call us if anything happens here, and we'll call you if we need any help". The smaller Gem nods, seemingly glad that she's sitting this one out. "As for everyone else," Septarian states, "let's head out".

. . .

It's the middle of the night in Cairo, and in the museum's halls silence reigns. Nothing stirs, nothing makes a sound—save for a sleeping security guard or two, nothing appears alive. But the place is remarkable, nonetheless; though shrouded in darkness, its many exhibits and artifacts stand as a profound testament to the past. Though the people who made and inspired them had long since passed away, they exist still, being admired and cherished thousands of years later. However, at least one item in the collection is not so well remembered—at least, not by the typical museum-goer. To a Gem, however, its history is a deep one.

With a loud crash, one of the museum's skylights is broken, and from it four of the Argyles drop down into the museum. Amethyst and Citrine elect to stand guard on the roof, while Emerald, Rhodonite, Gan, and Septarian go off in search of Serpentine. They step quietly along the museum's halls, trying not to arouse suspicion—or, at least, no more than breaking the window had. After a bit of searching, the four come across the section of the museum devoted to jewelry—and within it, they find the necklace imprisoning Serpentine. It sits in the center of a large glass case in the center of the floor, among scores of other trinkets and baubles.

"Right then, let's get her out" Rhodonite says, inspecting the case. She tugs on the top, but it doesn't budge. She feels around the sides for a door, but no such opening appears. She even tries to lift the whole case, but it quickly becomes clear that it's much too heavy for her. "Okay then, I dunno how to get her out"

"Watch this," Gan gestures for the three others to move as he positions himself at the case's far end. He pulls forth an arrow and readies his bow, angling it so that the arrowhead is perpendicular to the case. He lets the arrow loose, and the arrowhead cuts a perfectly straight line into the middle of the glass pane. Gan taps the glass, and the two new halves separate and fall away from each other, leaving the golden necklace within his reach. He retrieves it and smiles back at the three other gems.

"Showoff," Rhodonite scoffs playfully, crossing her arms.

Gan chuckles a bit before tossing the necklace to Septarian. "I got her outta the case, so you gotta let her outta the necklace; I don't wanna be responsible for what happens next".

Septarian nods. "Alright then—let's open her up".

The four move to the museum's main hall, just to ensure Serpentine has ample space to reform. Septarian grabs hold of the gemstone and, hesitating for but a moment, she pulls it from the necklace. Instantly, it begins to glow a bright lime green. Startled, Septarian tosses the gemstone into the center of the room, and all four step back and away from it. The gem rises high into the air, high above any of the Argyles' heads. Suddenly, bright flashes of light erupt from the gemstone, and a humanoid form begins to materialize. It starts out simple, almost mannequin-like in shape, but with another bright flash its clothes and hair materialize. As the light coming from the form diminishes, the re-formed Serpentine comes into view.

She stands incredibly tall—easily five meters or more—with a frame almost too thin to accommodate her height. Just like a serpent, Emerald thinks to himself. She wears only a collar and vambraces, both trimmed with gold, on her upper body, and save for the golden cape belt around her waist, her legs appear completely bare. On her head is a golden crown, and from the back of it scores of dreadlocks seem to spew forth like snakes from a nest. On her right eye is a tattoo resembling the eye of Anubis, and as she settles on the ground her eyes shoot open—two piercing green orbs, wide with shock. She wavers for a moment before stabilizing herself. She looks down at her hands, curling them into fists. As she realizes what's happened, her gaze hardens, and a devilish grin spreads across her lips. She laughs; a slight chuckle at first, but it soon evolves into a shrill cackle.

"Free at last!" she shouts. Her voice isn't exactly deep or imposing on its own, but it carries with it a certain sharpness that makes it eerily threatening. Her shouts and laughter echo throughout the museum's halls, but as she notices the four gems before her she calms herself a bit. "And, pray tell," she inquires, kneeling down to face the Argyles, "Who was it that freed me?".

Septarian steps forward to speak to her. "I am Septarian, of the Argyle Guard—and we've freed you in hopes that you can help us defend against Homeworld,"

"Argyles, hm?" Serpentine interrupts, turning away from them to look around the museum, "I've never heard tell of any such clan. Luckily for you, that means we've no quarrel with each other," she turns back to them, flashing a wry grin, "it would be in your best interest not to start one".

Septarian almost seems to shiver in fear, but she tries to maintain calm. "Yes, well, we were hoping you could help us—as we speak, a second invasion from Homeworld is coming, and we—"

Serpentine interrupts her again, "Wait, did you say a second invasion? Has the first not ceased?" Her smile falters some as she speaks.

"It has—Homeworld left this planet long ago".

"But...but that's impossible! The war was waging on when I was imprisoned, I know it was!" she looks around the museum, growing more worried with each glance. Around her are objects from the time of her rule—to her, she'd seen them only yesterday—yet here they are, labelled as artifacts from the distant past. She picks up a large stone statue, examining it in a shaking hand "How long..." she mutters before raising her voice, "how long was I imprisoned?"

Septarian hesitates a moment before answering her. "Five thousand years".

Serpentine freezes up. For a brief instant she doesn't move at all. Suddenly, she crushes the statue in her hand, letting its pieces fall to the ground beneath her. In between shallow, angered breaths, she speaks. "Five. Thousand. Years!?" she lets out a furious shout, nearly shaking the building's walls. The Argyles back away, all fearing the might of the enraged titan before them. She stops shouting suddenly as a barrage of bullets hit her chest, each ricocheting off of her. She looks down to see the two night shift security guards, each still pointing their guns up at her, seemingly paralyzed with fear. "How dare you—how DARE you try and harm me!" she shouts, causing the two guards to scramble away in fear. The gemstone on her chest begins to glow, and from it she summons two whips. With them, she lassos the two guards, pulling them back towards her. "Has my rule become a joke?!" She cracks both whips, throwing the guards back towards the far wall. They fall to the floor, motionless. "It would seem I need to remind these, these—pitiful creatures that I am to be feared—that I am a God among them, and I am to be treated as such!" She pulls her whips back towards her, and with a powerful lash from both she tears down the front wall of the museum, and she proceeds to walk out.

"Wait!" Septarian calls out to her, though she immediately regrets doing so.

Serpentine turns back towards the four Gems, flashing her devilish smile once again. "Oh, worry not, Argyles, I've not forgotten you. I am in your debt—it was you who set me free, after all. I'd be happy to help you, but first," she turns back towards the gaping hole in the wall, staring out into the streets of Cairo, "I have to teach my subjects a lesson". With this, she walks out, cracking her whips and laughing a shrill, sickening laugh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Voice Cast  
> -Phil LaMarr as Emerald  
> -Grey DeLisle as Rhodonite  
> -Michaela Dietz as Amethyst  
> -Kristen Schaal as Citrine  
> -Minty Lewis as Okenite  
> -Tilda Swinton as Septarian  
> -Matt Lanter as Mahogany Obsidian  
> -Eartha Kitt as Serpentine


	10. The Wrath of Serpentine

"Did I not tell you this would happen?"

"For the fifth time, Gan—yes, you did. No please shut up about it!"

Shortly after Serpentine had left them, Gan and Septarian had begun fighting once again, much to the annoyance of the rest of the Argyles. All the while, the enraged pharaoh wreaks havoc on the city.

"Well, I wouldn't have to say it so much if you'd have gotten it through that thick head 'a yours the first time!"

"It was a chance we had to take, Gan—"

"Oh, was it now? Yeah, no, you're right, it really was a good move to let her out—now she can blow off some steam destroying this city, and then she'll help us! Great plan, Septa! Masterfully done!"

"Well, did you have any better ideas?"

"Yes, I did—my idea was not to open pandora's box; that one was all you!"

Septarian glares down at him, her fists clenched. She steps towards him, almost challenging him. Gan returns the gesture, but before the two can come to blows, Rhodonite steps in between them.

"Stop it, both of you!" she pushes the two away from each other, continuing, "I hope you realize that every minute you spend fighting is another minute Serpentine has to run free—and when she destroys this city, then whose fault is it?"

Gan and Septa share a glance for a moment, but before either of them can speak, a loud crash rings out from far in the distance, followed by the sound of screams. From the hole in the museum's wall the Argyles look on in horror as a building comes crashing to the ground, and from it smoke and fire begin to billow out. As she gazes out at Serpentine's wrath, Septarian's gaze hardens, and she turns back towards the others.

"Rhodo, go grab Amethyst and Citrine—against my better judgement, we have to go after her".

. . .

Serpentine wasn't hard to track; starting at the museum, she'd carved out a clear path of destruction from her rampage. She'd made sure to make her mark all along the streets she'd travelled. Buildings stand half—demolished, the lashes of her whips still visible in some. Cars sit overturned in the middle of the street, evidently thrown as projectiles. The most telling sign, however, is Serpentine's devilish laugh echoing throughout the streets, intermingled with the symphony of screams and crashes engendered by her destruction. What people remain in the area either cower in fear or run far away from the rampaging titan; only the Argyles run towards her.

Eventually, they find her; she stands in the center of a city square, atop a pedestal where a statue once stood. From it, she stares down at the burning rubble of a toppled building, seemingly relishing in the destruction she's caused. The people left in the square cower away from her, and as she looks down at their fearful expressions she seems to only get more gleeful. She lashes her whips at what people she can see, causing those that aren't hit by her lashes to scatter and run from her. She laughs all the while, the glow of the flames illuminating her haunting, maniacal smile in the dark of the night. The Argyles peer at her for just a moment before moving back behind a farther off building, out of sight of the pharaoh.

"Right then," Gan asks, "What're we gonna do?"

Amethyst speaks up first. "I say we just try and take her—she can't beat all of us! Besides, I hate just sittin' around all scared like this,"

"Yeah! If we've gotta fight her, let's just do it!" Citrine adds.

"That's the last thing we're going to do," Septarian argues, "In order to take her down quickly, we have to come up with a plan—and until we do, none of us are going anywhere. Got it?" The Quartzes share a quick glance before letting out sighs of faux-disappointment.

"Alright, yeah, you're right," Amethyst says.

"None of us are strong enough to take her, so we should all wait until we have a plan," Citrine adds.

Suddenly, the two Quartzes join hands, and instantly their forms glow and combine into that of Ametrine. With a wry grin, the fusion states, "You never said anything about me, though!"

"Wait, no, that's not what I—" before Septarian can finish, Ametrine curls into a spin dash and rockets toward Serpentine. With an angered sigh, Septarian turns back to the others. "I swear, those two are going to be the death of me—Right then, I guess we're doing this now," she masks her frustration and instead takes on her leader-like tone of voice. "Gan, get to those rooftops, move in as close as you can to her, and be ready to fire on my signal. Rhodo, you go around and be ready to move in from the southeast road. Fusion, you take the northwest. I'll follow in behind those two and back them up if I can. That clear?" All nod in agreement. "Good. Now let's move".

A few yards down from them, Serpentine readies her whips to lash at a group of humans hiding under a storefront awning—a mother and three children. Before she can let the whips fly, however, Ametrine dashes headlong into her left shoulder, knocking one of her whips away. She lands on her feet and skids to a stop mere meters away from Serpentine, and as she stands the pharaoh turns her attention to her, allowing the family to escape. At the same time, the other Argyles take their positions around the square, and as they all ready themselves to strike the pharaoh speaks.

"Who dares attack the great Serpentine?" she roars, but Ametrine is not deterred; she stands proud, even in the face of the titan's wrath.

"I don't care who you are, snake-lady," Ametrine retorts, "all I know is that you're causin' trouble, and I'm gonna stop you!"

Serpentine laughs, flashing Ametrine her sinister grin, "Such insolence! Know you not that I am to be feared?"

"I've heard so, yeah—truth is, though, I think you're all talk!"

Serpentine's smile fades into a condescending glare. "You must be either very courageous or very stupid—I'm inclined to think the later"

"Oh yeah?" Ametrine reaches into her gems and pulls out her meteor hammers, swinging them out to her sides, "Well then, imagine how you'll feel when I beat you!"

Serpentine scoffs at the fusion's remark. "We'll see who is defeating whom soon enough," She summons a second whip and cracks the two in unison, readying them to strike at the fusion.

Ametrine makes her move first. In an instant she curls into a dash and begins circling Serpentine's pedestal. Mid-dash she ensnares it with one of her hammers, pulling it out from under the pharaoh. As Serpentine is jumping off of it, Ametrine skids to a stop and swings the block of stone around her, hurling it at the pharaoh. Serpentine cocks her head to the side as the pedestal flies past her, only just missing her. As it lodges itself in a building behind her, Serpentine laughs and cracks her whips again. Before Ametrine can react, Serpentine lassos her legs with her whips and pulls her off of her feet. Taking both whips in one hand, she swings Ametrine around the square and into the closest buildings, using her as a sort of living wrecking ball. As the buildings within her range crumble from their collisions with Ametrine, Serpentine suddenly jerks the whips and sends the fusion flying into the air, only to drag her back down onto the road an instant later. Ametrine lands with a loud thud, leaving a large crater in the asphalt with her in the center. Shakily, she begins to stand up, struggling for a moment to keep her balance. She hawks and spits into the cracked road before looking back up at Serpentine, a determined smile still somehow crossing her lips.

"Is that..." she pauses, trying to steady her breathing, "...all you got?" Her smile disappears as she sees the large chunk of debris being hurled into the crater, directly on top of her. "Aw, son of a—" with another loud thud, her voice is cut off as the debris strike her, burying her in a pile of rubble. The pile shakes for a moment as Ametrine tries to dig her way out, but Serpentine's foot being pressed into the top of the pile proves to be the straw that breaks the camel's back. With a loud pop and a puff of smoke, Ametrine's form—and thus those of Amethyst and Citrine as well—dissipates, and the rubble settles.

Serpentine laughs bitterly before seemingly addressing the city as a whole. "Does anyone else here have a death wish? I'll take all comers!" she laughs again, but she's cut short—before she can react, an arrow flies through the air and into her right eye. She howls in pain, clutching her face as she stumbles back into one of the crumbling buildings. Opposite her, Gan stands on a rooftop, congratulating himself for what he believes is a killing blow. Much to his dismay, however, Serpentine pulls the arrow from her eye, still clutching the right side of her face. She turns to where the arrow was fired, her one good eye wide with shock and rage. Her and Gan share a brief glance from across the square, and she snarls at him before re-summoning her whips. Gan tries to run away from her atop the buildings' roofs, but Serpentine is too quick for him—quicker than he can see, the pharaoh lashes one of her whips, causing the building below him to crumble. With the other, she lassos the smaller Gem by his waist and flings him backwards, sending him tumbling along the street. Serpentine begins to move towards Gan to finish him off, but she neglects to notice Rhodonite advancing upon her. Catching her off her guard, Rhodo jabs the pharaoh's shin with the long end of her tonfa, causing Serpentine to fall to her knees. Rhodo slides to a stop opposite her, preparing to make another pass. Serpentine moves quicker, however, grabbing Rhodo by the arm and throwing her like a ragdoll across the square. She lands inside one of the ruined buildings next to Septarian and Emerald, who had been awaiting their own chance to strike.

Rhodonite groans as she tries to get up again, but Septarian motions for her to lay back down. She quickly inspects Rhodo's gem for cracks, thankfully finding none, before pausing to think of a plan. She looks out to the square through the building's torn down walls, seeing if Serpentine had noticed them. She hadn't; the pharaoh reels from her injuries for but a moment, eventually standing back up and re-summoning her whips. With a crestfallen sigh, she turns to Emerald.

"I think we can agree, this mission's failed, so I need you to get everyone out of here for me. Get the quartzes' stones, pick up Rhodo and Gan, and find a warp pad to escape on. Got it?"

"Yeah, but," Emerald thinks about the plan's implications for a moment, "what're you gonna do?"

Septarian draws her sword and looks out into the square. "I'm gonna try and buy you some time. Don't wait for me"

Emerald hesitates for a moment, but reluctantly he nods. Returning the gesture, Septarian jumps out of the building towards Serpentine, and Emerald makes a run for the pile of rubble where Ametrine was buried. Hearing her land, Serpentine turns her attention to Septarian, leaving her back turned on Emerald.

"Septarian," she begins, her voice full of anger and contempt, "These insolent clods were with you when I was released—they bear your symbol! What treachery is this?"

Septa raises her sword to the pharaoh. "Your help would've been greatly appreciated, your Highness, but I'm afraid I can't stand by while innocent beings are harmed".

Serpentine's gaze hardens. "Then you've sealed your own fate".

The two do battle, and fiercely at that. The pharaoh lashes with her whips again and again, but Septarian just barely dodges each hit, even managing to cut one of her whips at one point. However, Septarian can't manage to land any hits of her own; every time she tries, Serpentine manages to out-maneuver her. And so the two fight on, locked in a stalemate of dodges and near-hits.

Emerald looks on for but a moment before remembering his task. Frantically, he begins to sift through the pile of rubble, searching for his friends' gemstones. He finds Amethyst's first, then Citrine's. He moves to get Gan and Rhodo as well, but the sharp crack of Serpentine's whips stops him in his tracks. He looks on in horror as Septarian flies through the air, striking a tall street lamp with a loud, metallic bang before falling to the ground. Emerald's gaze then shifts to Serpentine, who is now looking down on him with the same look of disdain she'd given Septarian.

"And what say you, Fusion?" she asks. Rather than reply, Emerald tries to run away down one of the streets leading to the square. Before he can escape, however, Serpentine lassos his waist and jerks him towards her, causing him to drop the two gemstones in his hands. He turns to see Serpentine's furious glare just as he reaches her, as well as her balled fist rearing back to punch him. When he's close enough, she strikes him hard in the torso, directly hitting the gemstone on his chest. All the wind is knocked out of him, and his vision begins to blur. Serpentine lets him go, and as he falls the world around him seems to move in slow-motion. His vision gets hazy and his field of view shrinks, and as he gazes upon Serpentine's face maniacal grin everything starts to go black.

Then, suddenly, only nothingness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Voice Cast  
> -Phil LaMarr as Emerald  
> -Grey DeLisle as Rhodonite  
> -Michaela Dietz as Amethyst  
> -Kristen Schaal as Citrine  
> -Octavia Spencer as Ametrine  
> -Tilda Swinton as Septarian  
> -Matt Lanter as Mahogany Obsidian  
> -Eartha Kitt as Serpentine


	11. A Fusion Reborn

Emerald awakens suddenly—he remembers being Emerald, at least. He lays on the cold road, paralyzed, like he'd just woken from a strange dream. As he sits up he looks at his hands, and he realizes there's only two. A lock of hair falls down over his eyes—a lock of dark green hair, darker than normal. As he brushes it away he touches the gemstone on his nose, and he takes a moment to hold his small hand there, relieved that at least it of all things is where it's supposed to be. Suddenly, a chill runs down his spine; he moves a shaky hand down to his chest, feeling for the second gemstone that should've been there. It isn't. He grasps at the fabric of his clothes, and his heart sinks. He realizes who he is.

He is only Chrome Tourmaline now—and he is alone.

But then, he thinks, where is—suddenly, Chrome spots him. A few meters away, another Gem lays on the ground, unconscious. He's larger than Chrome—about average for the quartz soldier that he is. His skin is a faint mint green, and as he lays there his similarly colored hair waves slightly in the breeze. He appears unharmed, and at this Chrome almost smiles. He stops short, however, as the Gem's form suddenly begins to crack and fizzle, like a television tuned to static. It's then that Chrome notices the gemstone on his chest—a large crack runs down the middle of it, nearly splitting it in two.

"Prasi!" Chrome begins to run towards him, but he never makes it—as soon as he breaks into a stride, a whip comes crashing down between them, shattering the road and pushing them further apart. Chrome follows the whip to its source, and it's then that he remembers what separated him and Prasiolite. Standing high above them, Serpentine gazes down with disdain at the two gems. She's breathing heavily, no doubt still recovering from her attacks by the other Argyles, and her face reeks of anger and hostility. Her one good eye darts between the two gems beneath her, and slowly a devious smile begins to cross her lips. Chrome tries again to run towards Prasi, but before he can reach him Serpentine kicks the larger gem away, leaving him face down on the sidewalk.

"Stop!" Chrome shouts. He'd intended it as a demand, but it comes out as more of a plea. The tears welling up in his eyes and the knot in his throat had taken all the force out of his voice. Serpentine pays him no mind anyhow; her focus is on Prasi. She walks up to him and sets her foot on his back, preparing to crush him and his gemstone. She chuckles at the thought of it, eventually letting her chuckle evolve into her signature, shrill cackle. She turns her gaze to Chrome, and as she notices the tears in his eyes she almost seems to smile wider.

"Witness, little one," she says, turning back to Prasi, "This is what happens to those who challenge my rule,"

Chrome barely registers her words. He only looks on in horror at Prasi's lifeless body through tear-blurred eyes. He balls his hands into fists and tries to hold back his tears, making a desperate attempt to keep his nonexistent composure. In one of his clenched hands, however, he notices something growing. He holds his hand up and opens his fingers, revealing the ball of swirling, green energy in his palm. It's the beginnings of an energy blast—the trademark ability of all Tourmalines. He hadn't used it in so long; ever since he'd committed himself to being Emerald and to being a pacifist, he'd vowed never to use his powers to harm again. Yet as he looks up at Serpentine and down at Prasi, he begins to realize that the former is a far more important engagement to keep—he has to save Prasi, and this is the only way to do it. Chrome's expression hardens and his fist clenches once more, allowing the ball to grow further. He reels his arm back as if to punch, the ball now glowing like a small star from in between his fingers.

"I. Said. STOP!" With all the strength he can muster, Chrome lets his fist fly, propelling the blast forward. Taking notice of his voice, Serpentine turns to him, only to have the blast hit her head on—right in her one good eye. She shrieks and falls back into the closest building, causing it to crumble around her. Chrome looks on in shock at her, then at his smoking hand—he'd almost forgotten how strong he could be. He's jolted out of his thoughts, however, as he looks back up at Prasi, his form still jolting slightly with static. Chrome instantly bolts over to him, crouching down at his side in order to sit him back up and examine the crack in his stone. It's bad—had Serpentine not wanted to toy with him, she could've shattered him easily. Tears well in Chrome's eyes again, and he pulls Prasi's fizzling and cracking form into a hug, daring not to let him go.

Suddenly, Chrome hears stones tumbling, and he looks over to see Serpentine's pile of rubble shaking slightly. Remembering the task at hand, Chrome wipes away his tears and gently pulls Prasi over his shoulder, carrying him away from Serpentine as fast as he can go. Behind him, Serpentine bursts out from the rubble, screaming out into the night. Chrome looks back to see that both of her eyes are shut now—she's completely blind. The pharaoh sheds the rubble off of her and summons her whips, furiously lashing them every which way. She's lost all composure: what coordination her attacks had are gone, and rather than strategize she only hits whatever is closest. All the while she rattles off a string of obscenities and threats, most of them directed at Chrome. Not wanting to call her bluff on any of them, he runs behind a building with Prasi, out of the pharaoh's range.

Setting down Prasi against the building's wall, Chrome looks out into the square; Serpentine still rages on, seemingly getting angrier by the minute. Stepping back, he weighs his options. He could just try and escape—it would take him a bit, but he could find a warp pad, take Prasi back to the Argyle's temple and—wait. The Argyles. Chrome looks out into the square again; he catches sight of Amethyst and Citrine's gemstones, as well as the motionless forms of the others on the adjacent streets. He steps back again, wondering if getting them is worth the risk. He slumps back down against the building, recognizing the severity of his predicament, yet finding no solutions. Suddenly, the shrill static of Prasi's damaged form knocks him out of his thoughts. He looks up at him, thinking—what would he do? Chrome thinks on this question for a bit. During the rebellion, Prasi would always try and save as many people as he could; even if it meant risking his own life, he'd do his best to protect the ones he loved. In spite of himself, Chrome figures this is what he should do, too. The smaller Gem's gaze hardens, and he rises to his feet. He turns to Prasi and plants a small kiss on his forehead, just in case this ends up being goodbye. With that, Chrome darts out into the square to face the pharaoh.

"Hey!" Chrome shouts. Serpentine turns in the direction of the sound, halting her rampage for but a moment. In a fit of rage, Serpentine lashes her whips in the direction of his voice, but Chrome runs off to the left before they hit. He fires a few small blasts to his right, causing some rubble to stir. Thinking this is him, Serpentine attacks in the direction of the rubble, leaving her back completely open to Chrome. He fires at her with both hands, leaving two long burns along her back before running away again. She howls in pain before lashing her whips where Chrome was moments before, allowing him to use the same trick again. He does this a few more times before Serpentine finally has enough—with an angered shout, she swipes both whips along the square, and sure enough, she catches Chrome on one of them. Chrome flies backwards into one of the buildings and, hearing this, Serpentine goes for him. As he's recovering from the impact, the pharaoh feels around inside the building before dragging Chrome out by his arm. She holds him by his waist, keeping his arms restrained behind his back. Chrome struggles, but to no avail—he's completely trapped.

Using her free hand, Serpentine rubs her eyes, wincing slightly as she touches them. With some effort, she opens them both. Her left eye appears red and bloodshot, with the iris seemingly scorched a dark yellow-green. Her right is no better; the wound from Gan's arrow is still clearly visible, and her whole eye appears torn and broken. Chrome wonders if she can see at all. Despite their injuries, her eyes are still full of anger and spite. "I will NOT be belittled any longer by the likes of you-you—insolent clods!" she roars, punctuated by angered, shallow breaths. Fearfully, Chrome tries to think of a way out. He tries again to wriggle out of the pharaoh's grasp, but it's no good. Suddenly, he remembers another ability of his—a last resort he'd only use when situations were most dire. It would likely sap all of his strength, but looking up at Serpentine's malicious glare, he figures it's his best option. With a sigh, he calms himself and closes his eyes, causing the stone on his nose to glow brightly. As he starts, Serpentine throws him onto the ground, stepping on him just as she'd done with Prasi. Chrome gasps, but he refocuses himself, and his stone glows brighter. "I am a God to the humans, and I am no less to you!" She begins to laugh her diabolical, now almost insane laugh, "Now—prepare to face judgement!" She summons one of her whips and holds it high above her head, readying herself to strike.

Chrome proves to be quicker on the draw. His stone glows brighter and brighter, and suddenly it lets loose a massive beam of blinding green light. The beam hits Serpentine straight on, carving a perfectly circular hole through her sternum, only just missing her gemstone. The pharaoh gags a bit as the beam hits her, and she stumbles backwards away from Chrome. She stands for only a second longer, a dumbfounded look plastered across her once proud face. Her form then erupts in an cacophony of light and smoke, leaving her gemstone floating in mid-air. Chrome watches it fall, but he doesn't see it land. Instead, his eyelids begin to flutter, and his vision blurs. He tries to get up, but he can't—he's too weak. As he drifts off, he hears the sound of a gem being bubbled, followed by voices seemingly too distant to hear. He wonders who they are for only a moment as his form dissipates as well, leaving his gemstone sitting on the destroyed road.

. . .

Some time later, back at the Argyles' cave, Okenite sits on the temples' steps. She holds a white bubble, covered with small spikes. In it is Chrome's gemstone. She inspects it for a moment before deciding to pop it, leaving the gemstone hovering before her. It begins to glow, and around it Chrome takes form. He comes back into consciousness just in time to see Okenite calling to the other Argyles, and as he floats down to the ground all five of them come to greet him.

"Welcome back!" Okenite pipes up first, taking Chrome's hand, "From what the others tell me, you had quite the time on the last mission—no wonder your form dissipated, you must have been exhausted!"

"Wh-what?" Chrome stammers, taking in his surroundings, "What happened?"

"Long story short," Septarian answers, "By some miracle, you beat Serpentine"

"And you saved us, too! Thanks for that, by the way," Rhodonite adds.

"We whittled her down for you, though," Amethyst interjects, punctuated by a playful punch in the shoulder from Citrine.

"Hey, I'm the one who hit her first! Don't I deserve some credit?" Gan retorts.

"You also griped about how bad of an idea the mission was the whole," Septarian reminds him.

"Because it was! Need I remind you that we all almost got killed?"

"Point is," Rhodo interjects, "It was a team effort".

Chrome chuckles a bit before looking around, still somewhat in a daze. "How long was I out?"

"Oh, not too long," Okenite answers, summoning another spiked bubble in her hand, "My bubbles speed up the reconstitution of one's form, so it takes only hours, rather than days or weeks—even with cracked gems, I—"

"Wait," Chrome interrupts, frantically looking around the cave. "Where's Prasi?!" Before Chrome is able to get himself worked up, however, a hand moves to his shoulder to calm him down. Chrome's first instinct is to shake it off, but a voice stops him.

"Chro, it's okay," instantly, Chrome spins around, and his eyes light up. Standing before him is Prasiolite, a slight smile crossing his lips.

"Prasi!" Chrome instantly leaps into the larger gem's arms, sending the both of them falling to the ground in a big, happy dogpile. Prasi sits up, and Chrome nestles into his lap. He begins to weep softly into the larger Gem's shoulder, and Prasi pulls him closer. "I-I th-thought I l-lost you," he says, only just barely audible between his sobs.

Prasi shushes him before speaking. "It's okay, Chro—we're okay" His voice is soothing, comforting—like music to Chrome's ears

Chrome leans back as if bit to look at Prasi, though he turns his tear-streaked face away before he speaks "I'm...sorry I let you get cracked—I-I should've done more, I—"

"Hey, hey, don't be like that," Prasi lifts Chrome's chin up and wipes away his tears, "It's because of you that I'm alive at all—you really saved my life back there,"

Chrome chuckles. "A few thousand more times and we'll be even, huh?" Prasi laughs, and in spite of himself Chrome laughs with him. Happily, he slumps against Prasi's chest once more, pulling him into a hug. Tears begin to well up in his eyes again. "I'm just...I'm so happy you're alright—I don't know what I'd do without you,"

Prasi smiles and holds him closer, resting his chin on the smaller gem's head. "You never will—I promise" he whispers. The two sit for a moment, Prasi gently rocking Chrome in his lap, before Gan interrupts them.

"Ugh, God, just fuse already," The two lovers look up at him just in time to see Rhodo jab him in the side with her elbow. They chuckle a bit before turning to each other.

"Well, what do you say," Chrome begins, "You ready to be Emerald again?"

"Y'know, I'm not sure," Prasi says, holding Chrome's cheek in his hand, "I kinda like being able to see you," Chrome blushes and smiles, but as Prasi starts to plant little kisses on his gemstone he goes over the edge into full-on giggling, something Prasi can't help but chuckle at. Prasi takes his hand as he begins to stop. "I'm ready whenever you are".

Chrome smiles and nods. "Let's do it."

The two stand up and walk together, hand in hand, outside of the cave, and the other Argyles follow out of curiosity. It's nearly morning—across the horizon the red-orange of the sunrise is slowly replacing the blue night sky, and one by one the stars' light gets overshadowed. Chrome and Prasi move opposite each other, and both of their gemstones start to glow. They begin to dance; they start out with perfectly synchronized moves, dips and twirls, but eventually their dance becomes Prasi spinning Chrome around, the two laughing and blushing like a couple of lovestruck idiots. Their dance ends with Prasi slowing his spinning and pulling Chrome in close, lifting him completely off of the ground so that their faces are level. Chrome wraps his arms around Prasi's neck and pulls him into a kiss, and with that their illuminated forms combine into one. The amorphous ball of light begins to take a humanoid shape, and with a final bright flash, Emerald comes into view.

The fusion settles on the ground, letting out a sigh as his feet touch the mountain. He turns back to the Argyles, all still in awe from the display. He smiles at them, then laughs, then laughs more and more until he begins to dance again on his own, just doing anything to enjoy himself—he was finally him again. With a slight misstep, however, he loses his balance and falls to the ground, still laughing and wiping tears of joy from his eyes. With a sign he eventually calms down and lays back on the mountain soil, two of his arms propping him up and two hugged around his torso. He stares off into the horizon, watching with a silent smile as the sun begins to rise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Voice Cast  
> -Phil LaMarr as Emerald  
> -Grey DeLisle as Rhodonite  
> -Michaela Dietz as Amethyst  
> -Kristen Schaal as Citrine  
> -Tilda Swinton as Septarian  
> -Matt Lanter as Mahogany Obsidian  
> -Eartha Kitt as Serpentine  
> -Jeremy Shada as Chrome Tourmaline  
> -Donald Glover as Prasiolite


	12. Hazy Cosmic Jive (Part I)

"Woah, for real?" Emerald asks, "That's awesome! Congratulations, you guys!"

Amethyst and Citrine smile bashfully back at him. It's midday, and as per usual his training with the two Quartzes had ended early. Usually it was due to their laid-back style of training, but over the weeks Emerald had been growing stronger and stronger, and as of late there'd been less and less to help him with. So, as was the new norm, the three sit together on the ledge, chatting the day away. Yet this time, the Quartzes had confessed something to Emerald—something they'd been wanting to do for a long time, but had only recently found the courage and opportunity to do. It was a difficult thing to tell, but it was a choice they'd made, and they know Emerald will keep it secret for the time being—so they tell him, anyways.

"Yeah, of course," He reassures them. They smile, but still they look somehow crestfallen. "What's wrong? You guys should be happy!"

"Oh, no, we are," Amethyst answers, "We're just—"

"We're just worried how everyone else will react," Citrine continues, "I mean, you understand what it means, but,"

"But to everyone else, it's just—weird"

"We're not sure if the others will accept us, y'know?"

Emerald thinks for a moment. They're right; to Rhodo, Gan, Okenite, and Septa—especially Septa—what the quartzes are planning to do might just seem strange. If Amethyst and Citrine told them now, they'd probably not know what it means or, worse yet, reject it all together. If only they knew what it was like—suddenly, a lightbulb goes off in Emerald's mind.

"Y'know," he tells them, "I may have a way to help with that," The two shoot him confused glances, and in response Emerald pulls them into a huddle. He whispers them his plan, and as he speaks their faces shift from confusion, to intrigue, to skepticism, to fluster, and then back to confusion. The two break away from the huddle, their expressions finally seeming to decide on doubt.

"Woah, woah, wait," Citrine stammers first, "How're you sure this would work? Like, who's to say they'd be into it?"

"Yeah!" Amethyst adds, "And even if they are, how do you know this is gonna help anything? They could hate it!"

"I know, I know, it's not a fix-all type of plan," Emerald answers, "All I wanna do with it is give them a fair chance at understanding where you're coming from, y'know? If we don't give them that, then how can you expect them to accept you guys?"

Amethyst and Citrine look down at the ground, and then up at each other. Citrine takes Amethyst's hand and smiles up at her, and she returns the gesture with a determined grin. Citrine speaks on their behalf, "Alright, what do we have to do?"

Emerald smiles. "You two just play dumb—act like it's all my idea. I'll do all the talking, and you two can just follow my lead. Got it?" The two smile and nod in unison. "Perfect! We'll do it tonight," Emerald runs back over the plan in his mind, and even he begins to think it's a little crazy. "Gosh, I hope this works,"

"Eh, even if it doesn't, it could be fun!" Amethyst jokes, earning her a playful punch from Citrine. Emerald laughs along with them, and with the aid of Emerald's extra limbs they share in a three way hi-five.

. . .

"Okay, everyone's here? Great!" Emerald claps his hands together, preparing himself to speak. Around him, the six other Argyles sit just outside the cave's mouth, confused and curious as to what Emerald could have called them all there for. Seemingly out of the blue, he'd pulled them all away from their routines to join him outside—though he'd been careful to keep his reasons secret.

Septarian is the first to inquire about it. "Alright, Fusion, what's this all about?"

Septa's utterance of that word worries Emerald a bit, but still he's undeterred. Faking some charisma, he responds, "I'm glad you asked!" he takes a moment to clear his throat before getting onto his spiel.

"Okay, so, in light of some recent events, I've got to thinking about how very few of you really understand what it's like to be like me—I mean, a fusion, that is—and I was thinking that, in order for us to really work as a team, we have to understand each other better, y'know? I mean, um," he stutters a bit, and as he pauses he looks back to see Amethyst and Citrine silently urging him to continue. Taking their cues, he clears his throat once more. "My point is this—the only way to understand a fusion is to experience it for yourself, so," he steps back away from the cave, leaving ample room around him, "If anyone wants to give it a try, I'd be happy to show you how it's done".

The Argyles' reactions are...mixed. Gan laughs, only half-trying to mask his amusement. Rhodonite blushes bright pink and laughs along with him. Septa smirks inquisitively at Emerald, and the Quartzes' hearts seem to visibly sink. Their eyes dart up to Emerald, desperately hoping he has some reassurance to offer, but he has none. However, something unexpected stops everyone in their tracks.

"I'd like to try!" Okenite speaks up, holding her hand high in the air. All eyes turn to her, and she instinctively shrinks back into herself, looking down and twiddling her thumbs. "I—I mean, you probably would not want to fuse with me, but," her voice trails off into mumbling.

"No, no, I'd be happy to!" Emerald reassures her. She looks up at him, a smile beginning to cross her lips. Emerald extends a hand out to her, and she enthusiastically floats towards him to take it. The two move to stand opposite each other, but Emerald suddenly stops himself.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" He turns over to the other Argyles, smiling, "Gan, would you mind playing us something? You can't dance without music!"

Gan looks at them curiously for a moment, still somewhat surprised by Okenite's enthusiasm, yet at the prospect of playing for an audience his eyes light up. "Yeah, totally! One sec'," he runs through the temple door, returning an instant later with his acoustic guitar strapped around his chest. He sits down by the other Argyles and begins strumming it—random notes at first, but eventually he finds a rhythm, and as he strums softly Emerald turns back to Okenite. The two step apart from each other, and Emerald begins to explain the steps, taking on a tone akin to that of a learned lecturer.

"Now, I should say first of all that a dance isn't necessary for fusion; fusion is essentially a form of shapeshifting wherein two gems' forms—as well as their personalities—combine into one. This, however, requires immense concentration and synchronization on both gems' parts, and a dance helps to facilitate this. Plus, it helps first-time fusers learn the ropes," he looks over to Okenite, "that being said—are you ready?" Okenite nods. "Then let's begin".

Emerald bows, and his gemstones begin to glow. Okenite looks on in surprise for a moment before following suit, and her stone glows as well. The two move closer, and Emerald seems to take the lead. His movements are slow and careful, each one just fast enough that the less experienced Okenite can keep up. Eventually, however, she begins to get into the swing of things, and the two start to move in unison, twirling and bounding around the mountainside in perfect sync. Their dance ends with Okenite levitating up to Emerald's eye level and turning to face the other Argyles, who can only look on with dazzled gazes. With that, Emerald and Okenite's forms combine.

The music stops. An instant later, the fusion's eyes shoot open—all four of them. They look down at their new form; the fusion's hair is long like Okenite's, but soft and fluffy like Emerald's. She wears a long, flowy gown akin to a wedding dress, with enough open space at the top for the fusion's six large arms. The fusion feels around their face and chest—three gemstones, right where they should be, but on only one body. How odd, the fusion thinks. They look down at the other Argyles—the fusion now towers above them—and they can't help but chuckle at their dumbfounded expressions.

Rhodo seems the most surprised of the five. "Oke? Em?" she calls up to them, though it comes out as little more than a whisper.

"No," the fusion replies. Their voice is soft and quiet like Okenite's, but with Emerald's gentle boldness mixed in. The fusion looks down at their body; their gown is nearly all white, but patches and strands of dark green mingle in at a few spots, and the bottom completely ombrés out into a deep, earthy green. The fusion thinks for a moment before speaking again. "Moss Agate". Something about this thought makes them chuckle a bit—they really were a different person altogether! Moss Agate laughs some more, and seemingly by instinct they begin to dance again. They twirl and jump about, moving lightly, almost weightlessly, despite their immense size. With one final movement, they kneel down in front of the Argyles, their gown spreading out like moss across the mountain's stone. The fusion smiles once more before separating with a flash of light and a puff of smoke.

Emerald and Okenite stand in Moss's wake, still seemingly frozen in mid-waltz. The two suddenly open their eyes and face each other, and instantly Emerald begins to chuckle aloud. Astonished into silence for but a moment, Okenite soon follows suit, giggling and blushing a deep bluish-gray. Suddenly, Rhodonite runs up and tackles her, sending them both tumbling onto the ground.

"That was amazing, Oke!" She shouts as the two stand back up. Okenite continues to laugh, still reeling from the experience. Rhodo takes her hands, pelting her with questions such as 'What was it like?' and 'How did you feel?', before Emerald clears his throat to get her attention.

"Would you like to try for yourself?"

Emerald holds out a hand to Rhodo, and she instantly moves to take it. She nearly drags him over to an open space, and as soon as they have ample room around them they begin to dance as well. Emerald tries to take it slow at first, but as Rhodo begins to move quickly and confidently around him he matches her pace. They move in close, Rhodo still twirling about her larger dance partner, before Emerald stops her and pulls her to him. The two freeze with Rhodo standing in front of Emerald, her hands held in his, and they begin to fuse as well.

A moment later, even before their forms had even fully combined, the fusion lets out an excited yell before leaping into view. They stand proud, two of their fists on their hips, with a beaming grin spreading across their face. They laugh heartily, the sound of it echoing between the mountains, before looking down at the other Argyles.

"Hey guys!" they bellow, sitting themselves down cross-legged in front of the others. "How do I look?"

"You look awesome!" Amethysts shouts as her and Citrine run up and hug the fusion's legs, and the fusion let's out a kindhearted laugh in response.

Okenite floats up to the fusion's eye level, still feeling as jovial as the rest, before speaking to them. "What gem do you think you are?"

The fusion looks down at itself, taking in its new appearance. "I'unno, um...Oh, I know, I'm a Unakite! No, no, wait, I think Watermelon Tourmaline works better—wait, no way! We—" the fusion's voice is interrupted as their form melts and distorts, and with a bright flash of light Emerald and Rhodonite re-appear in their fusion's wake.

"What are you talking about, we totally look like a Unakite!" Rhodo argues, "Just look, we—w-wait, what? Why am I me again?"

Emerald chuckles before explaining, "Okay, first off, I'm a tourmaline on Chrome's side, so Watermelon Tourmaline just makes more sense," Rhodonite scoffs, but Emerald continues, "Second, a fusion can't sustain itself when the two halves are out of sync, be it from emotional issues, physical injuries, or—internal disputes,"

Rhodonite laughs and playfully taps Emerald's nose-gem. "Well then, maybe we'll try again when you realize you're wrong," the two laugh together for a moment before Emerald stands again.

"Right then, anyone else care to—" He's interrupted as Amethyst and Citrine both run and tackle him, sending all three rolling together. As they come to a stop, their forms too begin to combine, compiling into a gigantic mass of multicolored light.

Their fusion, a hulking colossus if ever there was one, roars out into the night. Their roar quickly shifts into a husky guffaw, however, and they too begin to stand proud with two of their hands on their hips. They begin to flex and strike poses, revelling in their new, powerful form.

"Hey!" Rhodo calls up to them, "Enjoying yourselves?"

"Yeah!" The fusion shouts down enthusiastically, its booming voice seeming to shake the earth around it, "Oh, hey, what gem do I look like?"

Rhodo ponders it for a moment. "How 'bout...Peacock Topaz! I'd say it fits, what with you showin' off like that,"

The fusion lets out another earth-shaking laugh. "I love it!" They move to strike another pose, but before they can, the fusion breaks apart, and the fusers fall to the ground where they once stood.

Emerald gets up first, laughing a bit as he brushes dirt off of his clothes. "I guess I also should'a mentioned that, the more gems you add, the less stable the fusion ge—huh?" Emerald's train of thought is interrupted as he sees not Amethyst or Citrine, but Ametrine lying opposite him. Ametrine seems just as surprised; she looks at her hands for a moment, wondering what could have happened, before smiling and beginning to laugh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Voice Cast  
> -Phil LaMarr as Emerald  
> -Grey DeLisle as Rhodonite  
> -Michaela Dietz as Amethyst  
> -Kristen Schaal as Citrine  
> -Tilda Swinton as Septarian  
> -Matt Lanter as Mahogany Obsidian  
> -Octavia Spencer as Ametrine


	13. Hazy Cosmic Jive (Part II)

Ametrine throws her hands into the air and lets out an excited howl as she hops to her feet. Instantly, Rhodo runs over and high-fives her, Gan and Okenite following suit. The four of them stand in a huddle around each other, talking excitedly and attempting to describe what they'd all experienced.

As the four laugh and converse, Emerald sits back away from them, a content smile crossing his lips. Despite their worries, his and the Quartzes' plan had worked like a charm. It seemed like the other Argyles were really warming up to the whole idea of fusion—that is, except one. Out of the corner of his eye, Emerald sees Septarian, still sitting where the others had been before, looking out at the others with a strange mixture of skepticism and curiosity. Just as he'd feared—if she hasn't joined the group by now, Emerald thinks, she probably doesn't plan to at all. With a sigh, Emerald figures he'll have to take the first step with her. He gets up and looks over to the others—Rhodonite and Okenite had just fused into what looks like a Rhodochrosite, and their fusion is currently in the process of dancing with Gan. All the while, Ametrine claps and cheers them on. She turns for a moment and sees Emerald, and with a kind smile and a wave of her hand she beckons him to join them. Emerald shakes his head and gestures towards Septarian, and with a knowing nod Ametrine turns back to the newly formed triple-fusion—a Pink Sardonyx, from the looks of it. The fusion smiles and laughs, and Ametrine follows suit. Emerald grins once more at the sight of it before going over to sit with Septa.

"Looks like they're enjoying themselves," Septa says flatly as Emerald takes a seat beside her. "It's almost like we don't have an invasion to worry about".

"I'm sure no one's forgotten that," Emerald reasons, "Everyone just needs some time to unwind once in a while, y'know?"

"I suppose so," she sighs, "I was never one for unwinding, though" Emerald looks at her, and he notices her tired eyes and creased face. He'd never thought about it before, but she looked exhausted. The impending invasion must really be taking a toll on her, he thinks.

They go silent for a moment before Emerald speaks again. "Why don't you come out and give it a try?"

"I don't see the appeal. From what I see, it's just...two gems making a bigger gem"

"In a sense, you're right—but there's much more to it than that"

"How so?"

"It's a more profound feeling than I can fully describe", Emerald begins, looking out at the small party of fusing gems opposite him and Septa, "For a brief moment, more in my case, you lose yourself, and you become apart of something bigger—something new and unique and beautiful" Septa stares at him as he speaks, puzzled yet intrigued—it seemed as though the last thing he said had somehow struck a chord with her. "A fusion isn't two gems, and it's not one gem—it's an experience"

Septarian turns away from him, contemplating his explanation. Emerald stands up and walks in front of her, extending her his hand. "C'mon—I promise, it's not that bad," he asks, smiling down at her.

Septa looks at the hand, then Emerald himself, then back to his hand. With a sigh, she takes it. "Alright, just this once—but we're un-fusing right after. I prefer being myself," she jokes

"Fair enough," Emerald agrees, "All I ask is that you give it a fair shot," Septa smiles slightly, and with that, the two venture out to an open spot to dance.

Across from them, the other four Argyles continue to take turns fusing with each other, giggling all the while. When they see Septarian walking out to fuse, however, all save for Ametrine un-fuse out of shock and look on at her and Emerald—they'd never thought Septa would ever partake in something like this. Yet partake she does; she and Emerald begin to dance, and the others continue to look on with the same shock. Emerald again starts slow, but much to his surprise Septarian moves much more confidently than the others had. Each step she takes seems to have been meticulously planned and executed, causing Emerald to almost have trouble keeping up with her. Yet eventually their paces synchronize, and the begin to move in closer to one another. Sensing she'd be able to keep up, Emerald attempts a particularly bold maneuver—he takes Septarian into his arms and tosses her into the air, high above his head. She seems shocked for a moment, but she quickly regains her grace and begins to twirl as she falls back towards Emerald, somehow knowing he'd catch her. She lands atop his four hands, all held high to form a platform, and the instant they touch their forms combine and meld into a singular, humanoid shape.

The fusion stands silently in their fusers' wake, still reeling from their own sudden genesis. They open their eyes, and they find that they somehow have two fields of view—one looking down at the other Arglyles, all still overcome by awe, and another looking up into the starry night sky. They feel around their face, and they understand why—two eyes sit beside Emerald's gemstone, lower down on the face, while the other two lay around Septarian's, connected to a strange second, mask-like face on the forehead. They run their hand farther down their head to feel their new, fluffy mohawk, and as the hand moves lower they grasp at the gemstone on their chest. A slight gasp escapes their lips, still confused by the strange new sensation of having more than one.

With a deep yet somehow faint voice, they speak. "W-What am I?" All the other Argyles begin to think of a proper answer for the fusion, but Ametrine is the first to speak.

"Someone entirely new," she says, smiling up at the large fusion, "What do you feel like you are?"

The fusion thinks on this for a moment. They speak, now somewhat more confidently. "Call me—Eldarite" Suddenly, the fusion breaks apart, leaving Emerald and Septarian standing in Eldarite's wake.

Septarian is the first to speak, uttering but a simple phrase, "Wow..." She runs her hand through her hair and clutches her chest once more, making sure she's her again. She stands dumbfounded for a moment longer before Emerald breaks her out of her stupor, laughing and pulling her into a bear-hug. He sets her down and, after a bit more thought, she does the unthinkable. In spite of herself, Septarian laughs—actually laughs. Though only slightly, her tired eyes look almost rested, her creases fade away, and Emerald can't help but laugh with her Immediately after, the other Argyles run and tackle her, sending the whole lot onto the ground into a big, giggly pile.

And so, they dance on, forming new fusions with each passing minute. Their joyous laughs and cheers resonate around the mountains, and even from far away the glimmering, multicolored light of their luminous forms combining and shifting can be seen, like a small star nestled between the mountaintops. At least a dozen new fusions are made—Emerald and Gan make Maw Sit Sit, Okenite and Ametrine make Bertrandite, and the list goes on and on. Eventually, however, someone missteps and sends half the group falling to the ground, yet they all laugh it off as part of the fun. The others decide join them on the ground, and together the six gems lay in a circle, looking up at the stars.

Emerald turns over slightly, and he sees that Ametrine and Septarian are laying next to each other. He whispers something to Ametrine, and she goes stiff. With a sigh, she reluctantly turns to Septarian to speak.

"Hey, Septa?" she begins, hesitation evident in her voice, "Can I...confess something?"

Septarian looks at her curiously before getting up, moving to sit cross-legged opposite Ametrine. "What would that be?"

Ametrine sits up as well, and with a deep breath she begins to explain. "We—Amethyst and Citrine—we've been together a long time. We fight together, we hang out together—you've seen it, we're...inseparable,"

"You two are good friends, we've all seen that,"

"No, but—it's more than that. It's hard to explain why or how it is, but," with a final moment of reluctance she fesses up, "we love each other, okay?"

Septarian stares blankly at her for a moment. By now the other Argyles had sat up too, and they give a similar expression. Surprisingly, Septarian begins to chuckle, worrying Ametrine slightly. She sets a hand on her shoulder and explains, "I think everyone knew that already—you two aren't exactly subtle about it," the other Argyles laugh, and Ametrine can't help but blush and laugh embarrassedly along with them. Septa continues, "It's okay, you two—for what it's worth, I think you make a wonderful couple,"

Ametrine lights up, grinning from ear to ear. "Aw, thanks Septa!" she pauses for a moment, still blushing, but now looking down. "That's...not all, though," All but Emerald stare puzzledly at her, wondering what she means. "We've been thinking about for a while now, and, well," she hesitates a moment before finishing her sentence.

"We want to stay as Ametrine"

Septa's smile starts to fade slightly as she gazes quizically at the fusion before her. "Why would you want to do that?"

"Well, I mean," she stutters, trying to find the words, "It just feels so...right, y'know? We...I feel like this is who I'm supposed to be. When I'm Ametrine I feel...complete,"

Septa's expression is blank again. She looks back at Emerald accusingly. "Are you telling her to do this? I'd rather you not plant ideas in my teammates' heads, Fusion"

"Emerald has nothing to do with this!" Ametrine exclaims, causing Septa to reel back a bit. "This was all our idea; I mean, we told Emerald first, and he thought up all the dancing and the fusing—but it was only to help us get you to understand! We thought that...if you had the chance to fuse for yourself, you'd understand where we're coming from,"

"Listen, you two, I—"

"Stop saying that!" tears begin to well around her one large eye, and her voice begins to crack, "I'm not just Amethyst and Citrine—I'm my own person!" Septarian goes silent, allowing Ametrine to continue. She wipes away her tears before speaking again. "I know you don't understand it. I know it seems strange, but it's how we—it's how I feel. Can't you accept that?"

Septarian sits in silence for what seems like an eternity. She rests her hand in her forehead, still seemingly in deep thought. Finally, without a word, she gets up and walks to the temple door, disappearing inside it.

Ametrine looks to where she last stood for only a moment before starting to sob again. The other Argyles move in to comfort her, but before they can Septarian re-appears. In her hands is a purple object—a mask, from the looks of it. Ametrine looks confusedly up at her as she sits back down, keeping the mask in her hand. She holds it up and studies it a bit before speaking.

"This mask belonged to an old friend of mine—she helped us take the Arctic Citadel all those years ago, remember?"

Ametrine thinks for a moment, wiping her tears away. She wasn't sure what it had to do with the situation at hand, but she answers anyway. "Yeah...Chevron Amethyst, right?

Septarian nods. "From what I've seen, it's common practice for fusions to hide their extra body parts—at least, I've seen every one I've known do that, what with Tiger Iron and now," she gestures to Emerald, "him. Tiger Iron once told me that it has the effect of making a fusion feel more complete—less like a fusion and more like a singular gem. I figured that...since you're sticking around, you'll want to do the same"

Ametrine begins to tear up again, but now they are tears of joy. Septarian wipes away her tears and sets the mask atop her one eye. She leans back and takes in the sight of her new comrade, smiling up at her. Septarian sets a hand on her shoulder before speaking again. "I hope you realize that, in doing this, you're leaving us with one less soldier than before. You'd better be willing to pick up the slack...Ametrine"

Tears begin to stream out from under the mask. Ametrine instantly pulls Septarian into a hug, and after some initial shock, Septarian smiles and hugs her back. The other Argyles pile in as well, wrapping their arms around the two. In the center of the group hug, Ametrine continues to cry, an overjoyed smile still plastered across her face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Voice Cast  
> -Phil LaMarr as Emerald  
> -Grey DeLisle as Rhodonite  
> -Michaela Dietz as Amethyst  
> -Kristen Schaal as Citrine  
> -Tilda Swinton as Septarian  
> -Matt Lanter as Mahogany Obsidian  
> -Octavia Spencer as Ametrine


	14. An Opal in the Rough

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Voice Cast  
> -Phil LaMarr as Emerald  
> -Grey DeLisle as Rhodonite  
> -Tilda Swinton as Septarian  
> -Matt Lanter as Mahogany Obsidian  
> -Octavia Spencer as Ametrine  
> -Stephany Nadolny as The Little Quartz

Far from the Argyles' temple, in the western half of the northern Americas, a breathtaking sight sits nestled between the conifers of the British Columbian forest. Fed by a river from the northeast, a massive waterfall cascades down into a lush canyon. From its white waters, caves and grottos have been carved into the canyon's walls, and coupled with the thick mist rising from the rapids below the falls the place has an almost other-worldly feel—as if the canyon was taken straight from the pages of a fantasy epic. It's a perfect example of what the rebellious earthling gems sought to save from Homeworld's all-encompassing grasp; the type of natural beauty that no being, no matter how intelligent or articulated, could ever dream of creating. It's a place seemingly devoid of all logic, beyond any explanation—a place governed only by nature's innate, random processes.

Yet as it often the case with Earth's wonders, the falls are not without scars left by Homeworld. Beneath the falls, long-forgotten injectors and exit holes lay strewn about the caves and cutouts—the remains of the Theta Kindergarten. It was among the many rushed efforts to supply Homeworld's armies, in order to maintain their slowly fading grip on the Earth colony. Yet with Homeworld's defeat at the hands of the Crystal Gems, the Theta Kindergarten, like nearly all vestiges of the gems' presence on Earth, was left to ruin.

At least something in the Kindergarten still works, however—near the top of the falls, a warp pad lays amongst the podzol beneath the towering trees. With a charging whir its familiar azure beam shoots into the heavens, rustling the branches of the trees above it. As it subsides, the Argyles come into view. Abiding by their usual philosophy of "It's at least worth a shot", they'd come to scour the Kindergarten for any signs of a remaining Gem presence—perhaps a Quartz had emerged late from its hole, or maybe a supervisor had had their form destabilized and never reformed. Whatever the case, it was a longshot at best, but all had agreed it was at least a better option than another Serpentine-style debacle.

The sound of the rushing water greets the group as they step off the warp pad, and Emerald, curious as to what it could be, investigates the sound. As soon as he sees the falls, he gasps and nearly stumbles off the side of the cliff. Regaining his balance, he kneels on the overhang and gazes down into the canyon, marvelling at its majesty.

"Oh my stars!" he shouts, turning back to the other Argyles, "Have you guys seen this? It's incredible!"

Septarian walks over and pulls him to his feet, looking down on the falls for a moment herself. "Yes, it's a marvel to behold—but I'm afraid we're not here for sightseeing. We have a mission, remember?"

Emerald recalls what they'd come there for. "Right, right, yeah," he takes one last look into the canyon, muttering a final "Wow," before rejoining the group.

"Alright then, here's the plan," Septarian begins, "We'll split up—Rhodo, Gan, and myself will check the canyon walls," she turns to Ametrine and Emerald, "You two look around under the falls. Be on the lookout for things like unopened holes, broken injectors—anything that could lead to us finding other gems. We'll rendezvous back here at sundown, but if you find anything major come and find us. Are we clear?" All nod in response. "Excellent—then let's move."

With that, Gan, Rhodo, and Septa jump down into the canyon. Ametrine follows suit, spin-dashing down the side of the canyon behind the falls, yet Emerald elects to take a more scenic route. He walks along the canyon's edge until he finds an area that's not so steep, and from there he carefully maneuvers himself down to the river beneath the falls. All the while, he takes in the sights and sounds of the landscape, basking in the falls' natural beauty. He comes to a stop on a small outcropping just above the rapids, and there he decides to sit for a moment, relaxing and enjoying the scenery.

"Hey Em!" From off to his right, Emerald hears Ametrine calling to him, her voice only slightly audible over the rushing of the falls. She beckons him over, and he carefully makes his way under the falls to join her. For a moment it's too dark to see anything, and Emerald begins to project a beam of light from the gemstone on his nose. He blinks for a moment, adjusting to the bright light so close to his eyes, before taking in his surroundings. Behind the falls is a massive cave, its walls peppered with exit holes and broken-down injectors. In its center is a small lake—an extension of the river—in which many of the injectors had fallen and now sit half-submerged. From the falls just outside the cave's mouth mist sprays in, scattering the light from Emerald's gem and giving the whole cave an eerie green glow.

"You see anything walkin' down here?" Ametrine asks him, her voice echoing off the cave's walls.

"No, I don't think so—I was more focused on the view, honestly. What about you?"

She shakes her head. "Nah, nothin' yet, but I've only checked 'round the lower levels so far," As she speaks, she summons one of her meteor hammers, swinging it at her side. She tosses it like a grappling hook up towards the cave's roof, snagging it on one of the topmost exit holes. Giving the rope a few tugs, she begins to climb up the cave's walls before speaking again. "Mind giving me some light?"

Emerald nods, and he looks up towards the top of the cave. Ametrine swings around the holes, checking each one for signs of life or irregularities, and Emerald follows her with the light. Yet as he looks up at her, something seems to stir behind him—he hears something wading through the water, followed by quick footsteps against the rocky beach. He quickly turns towards the sound, yet to his surprise nothing's there. He glances around the cave for a moment longer before Ametrine calls down to him again.

"Yo, Em, I still need that light!" Remembering his task, Emerald looks back up to her, yet he still tries to look back from time to time. Ametrine notices this, and she asks, "What's up? You see somethin'?"

Emerald looks behind him a moment longer, but still he sees no sign of anyone around. With a sigh, he replies, "No, it's...probably nothing,"

"Yeah, I ain't findin' much up here either," before Emerald can respond, Ametrine pushes off the wall and backflips into the lake below, splashing water all over Emerald as she lands. She resurfaces a moment later, chuckling at Emerald's soaked form. She lies back, letting herself float in the lake. "You wanna just hang out outside for a bit n' wait for everyone else?"

"Might as well, yeah," Emerald brushes his wet hair out of his eyes, trying his best to shake off some of the water, "Come to think of it, I probably need to sit and drip-dry a bit anyways," Ametrine chuckles and, as his hair falls over his eyes again, Emerald laughs along with her.

Moments later, the two move to sit just outside the waterfall, atop a small cliff overlooking the river below. Emerald takes a moment to wring out his soaked clothes, and as he does he looks up at Ametrine. She's looking out into the canyon, seemingly in deep thought, and save for her hair blowing in the breeze she doesn't move at all. Figuring he knows what she's thinking about, Emerald speaks.

"It's strange, isn't it?" Ametrine looks back at him confusedly before he continues, "Being fused for as long as you have, I mean,"

"Eh, sorta," she replies, looking back out at the horizon, "It was for, like, the first week or so—but now it just feels so...normal. Is that normal?"

"Yeah, absolutely! Honestly, I'm surprised you've gotten into the swing of things so fast; it took me a little while to get my bearings straight when I first started,"

Ametrine laughs. "That's so weird! I mean, it seems like it comes so naturally for you—to be honest, sometimes I even forget you're a fusion,"

"Don't worry, I do too sometimes," he looks up and sighs, smiling, "I forget I was ever alone,"

Ametrine smiles along with him. "I've been feeling the same way! 'Cause it's, like—" she talks more, but Emerald doesn't hear what she says. Instead, he focuses his attention on the sound of footsteps behind him—the same ones from inside the cave. He figures whoever it is must be just behind him, yet instead of trying to confront them immediately he takes the more tactful approach, waiting until they'd stopped. As he listens to the footsteps, Ametrine finishes speaking. It's then that he realizes he hadn't heard a word of what she'd said, yet rather than sound rude he just says, "Yeah, I get what you mean!" and smiles.

Ametrine smiles back, and Emerald figures he's in the clear. She asks, "So what about you, huh? What was your first time fusing like?"

Emerald always loved this story. "Well, it all started about five thousand years ago, when—"

Suddenly, he's interrupted as Ametrine stands up and spins around, summoning one of her hammers and throwing it into the bushes behind them. She lassoes something, and an instant later she yanks it back and holds it beneath one of her boots.

"I don't appreciate eavesdroppers," she snarls down at the thing, "Now what do you want?"

"Ametrine, wait!" Emerald moves her off of the thing, allowing it to scurry away, yet Ametrine quickly grabs it by its hair before it can escape. "You really don't need be so rough with the little guy,"

"I'm not little! You guys are just huge!" The thing pipes up. Emerald looks him over: despite his protests, he is indeed little—just shy of a meter tall, at that. His freckled skin and messy hair are a deep, earthy brown, and he wears a skin-tight suit similar to those of freshly-made gems. He looks harmless enough, yet his temperament tells otherwise—though Ametrine has him firmly by his ponytail, he kicks and thrashes about, expecting that it'll somehow free him from the larger gem's grip.

"That still makes you little, genius," Ametrine retorts. She drops him, yet her and Emerald circle around him to make sure he doesn't run off. "Who are you, anyways?"

He clears his throat and raises his arms into a diamond salute. "Facet 7, Cut 2HB—I'm a quartz soldier," he looks up at Ametrine, "Just like you!"

Ametrine looks visibly confused. "You're a quartz?"

"Yup!" He stands proud, smiling with his fists on his hips. "Can't you see the resemblance?"

Ametrine pulls Emerald into a huddle. "Is he for real?" she whispers, "I mean, I've seen overcooked quartzes before that're about his size, but he doesn't look like any kind of quartz I've seen before,"

Emerald thinks on it for a moment. "Well, it's about sundown—we should take him back to the others"

. . .

"How interesting,"

Back up by the warp pad, Rhodonite examines the tiny quartz—or, rather, whatever he actually is. She turns to Emerald and Ametrine. "And you say he really believes he's a quartz?"

"Hey, I'm right here!" he says, trying to get everyone's attention, "And I am a quartz!"

Rhodonite kneels down in front of him. "Nah, I'm not seeing it," she takes hold of the gemstone on his chest—it's a dark earthy brown, just like the rest of him, yet cutting through it are bright, shimmering veins of blue and green. "To me, you look more like an opal of some kind—boulder opal, I think,"

"B-but I know I'm a quartz!" he stammers.

"Oh yeah?" Gan retorts, "What kinda Quartz are ya, then?"

"Well, I—" he stops short, seemingly not knowing the answer himself. He dodges the question, instead saying "Here, I can prove it! Come on, follow me!" he runs back down into the canyon, and the five Argyles follow behind him.

He finally comes to a stop under the waterfall, and the Argyles find him jumping up and down, pointing at the lake in the center of the cave. "Here, you see! This is the hole I came out of!"

Rhodo moves in to inspect it. Sure enough, an exit hole sits half-submerged in the lake, lower than the others. It's smaller and shorter than the adjacent holes, as the spot where the bottom should have been is obstructed by various rocks and stones. Rhodo examines the stone around the hole before speaking. "Yep, that's definitely a boulder opal vein—which makes you a Boulder Opal"

The little gem stands rigid for a moment before taking a seat against the cave's wall. He holds his head in his hands as he speaks, "B-but I know I'm a quartz!" he looks up at a much larger exit hole next to him, seemingly thinking about something. "Aren't I?"

"Truth be told, I don't really have an explanation for it either," Rhodo ponders, "I've never heard of a gem being made to think they're a different one entirely,"

"Well, I was made by accident," Gan postulates, "Maybe he was, too?"

Septarian thinks on it a moment. "Whatever the explanation for his existence, I think it's fair to say that his claims are valid," she kneels down in front of the smaller gem, bringing his face up to hers, "You really believe yourself to be a Quartz?"

"Yeah," he says, "I don't know why but...I just feel it in my gut, you know?"

"Well then," she stands up, glancing at Emerald and Ametrine, "We do only have one and a half quartz soldiers with us, and we could use all the extra muscle we can get," she turns back to the little gem, "How about you come with us?

"What for?" the little gem was looking intently at her now, half standing up.

"We're building an army—one that can repel an attack from Homeworld and, hopefully, save the Earth from destruction"

"But Earth's my home!" he shouts, jumping to his feet.

"It's ours, too—that's why we're trying to save it. Will you help us?"

He pauses and looks down. "I...I don't know if I'll be able to do much,"

Septarian kneels down again, getting on eye level with the smaller gem. "I would beg to differ; I'm sure a big, strong quartz like you will be a big help to us"

The little gem lights up, and a smile crosses his lips. He jumps in the air and shouts, "Let's do it!"

Septarian smiles. "Alright then, soldier, rendezvous with us back at the warp pad by the falls before the sun sets. Got it?"

Instinctively, the little gem raises his hands into the diamond salute once more. "Right away, sir!" he giggles and runs up the canyon's side, and the Argyles follow him.

As they walk, Ametrine runs up to Septa. "That was really cool of you," she says to her, "I mean, I was sure you were gonna shut him down back there,"

Rhodo joins them. "Are you sure it's such a good idea, though? I mean, it's sweet, but I'm worried you're setting him up for disappointment later on"

"Maybe so," Septa answers, "But I remember what it was like to be considered a defect—no one wanted me, all because I was a little different from the other Septarians,"

"But then someone came and gave you a purpose," Rhodo remembers, "I get it now—you're doing the same for him"

Septa nods. "Even if he struggles as a warrior, I think he at least deserves a chance"

Emerald comes up behind her, setting a hand on her shoulder. "I think that's really noble, Septa,"

"I'm glad you think so," she replies, "because I'm putting you and Ametrine in charge of training him to fight. I figure it's fitting—if he wants to be a quartz soldier so bad, it'd be best for him to learn from one, don't you think?"

Before Emerald can protest, the little gem calls to them from the warp pad, "Hey, hurry up you guys! I've been standing here for, like, a year already!"

The other Argyles join him, and with the warp pad's charging whir the six of them jettison away, back to the Argyles' temple.


	15. Rolling Stones

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Voice Cast  
> -Phil LaMarr as Emerald  
> -Grey DeLisle as Rhodonite  
> -Minty Lewis as Okenite  
> -Tilda Swinton as Septarian  
> -Matt Lanter as Mahogany Obsidian  
> -Octavia Spencer as Ametrine  
> -Stephany Nadolny as The Little Quartz

"Okay, you guys ready?" Gan asks. All nod and ready their instruments. "Alright—one, two, three, four!"

Immediately, a sweet melody begins to fill the Argyles' cave. It's not perfect, by any means—Okenite sings somewhat off-key, Rhodo still hasn't wrapped her head around a keyboard, and Ametrine clearly only chose the double-necked guitar because she thought it looked cool. Yet there is some talent there; somehow Emerald plays Gan's bass guitar just fine, and Gan, the practiced musician that he is, has no trouble picking up the drums. It's not an amazing show they put on, yet everyone still has fun just jamming for a while—none more so than the new recruit, the little quartz. While the other first-time players seem to go slow in order to learn their instruments, he just about goes nuts with his tambourine, jumping around excitedly as he slaps it against his palm. Even after the song finishes he keeps going, only stopping once he realizes he's the only one still playing. He looks embarrassed for a moment, but as everyone begins to laugh he just laughs it off with them.

Their laughter is interrupted, however, by Septarian's voice as she exits the temple door. "Well," she says sarcastically, "It looks as though the new recruit's training is going well—a few more 'jam seshes' like that and he'll be an expert warrior in no time,"

"'Ey, c'mon Septa," Gan retorts, "It's only been a day or two—can'tcha let the kid have a li'l fun?"

"We had fun a few weeks ago, did we not? I'd say that's plenty," Gan scoffs at her, but Septa pays him no mind. "Listen, either way, I came to tell you we have a new mission to take care of,"

At this, everyone seems to listen closer to her. "Where to?" Gan asks.

"Up north," Septa gestures to Rhodonite, who promptly moves to display a hologram from her gemstone. On it is a large pink globe, which Rhodo quickly zooms in on to show the whole of the arctic circle. Septa continues, "Remember back at Theta where we saw that one exit hole?"

"The one that looked too recent? Yeah, I remember," Gan answers.

"Rhodo and I studied it a bit further, and we determined it to be an Ice Agate—a big one, too, judging by the size of the hole,"

"We figured that, if whoever popped outta there wasn't at Theta, they probably went on their instincts and headed up North," Rhodo continues, "To fight in the battle they were all being made for,"

"The Arctic Citadel," Ametrine pipes up, seemingly recalling said battle.

Septa nods. She moves to speak again as she points out the citadel on the map, but before she can a small voice interrupts her. "Ooh, ooh, I think I know who it is!" It was the little quartz—he had run right into the middle of Rhodo's hologram, clipping right through the spinning pink map.

"You know who whom is?" Septa asks, intrigued by his remark.

"The ice agate!" By now, everyone was staring at him, and he began to speak slightly more nervously. "We came out of our holes around the same time—she was my friend!"

"Where'd she go?"

"She said she was gonna go fight in a battle up north, just like you said!"

"Interesting—why didn't you go with her?"

"She told me not to—she said I should stay and guard the kindergarten, in case anyone else ever popped out,"

"And did anyone else ever emerge?"

"Nope—just me and Icey"

Septa thinks for a moment, contemplating this new information. "You're sure this Ice Agateis friendly?"

"Yup!" the little quartz answers, "She was really nice to me—at least before she left, I guess,"

"I suppose I won't need a full task force, then," she says, "Even so, just to be safe—Gan, would you mind coming along?"

"I guess," he replies, "Why me instead 'a Rhodo, though? Isn't she just as strong as I am?"

"Yes, but I want her here to make sure our new recruit actually gets trained—you would probably only incite more procrastination"

He shrugs. "Fair enough. Here, lemme go grab my bow before we head out,"

As he exits, Septa turns back to Rhodo. "That being said," she gestures to Ametrine and Emerald, "make sure those two actually get around to training the little one. Ideally, I'd like to have him ready to fight before the next mission. Got it?"

"Got it!" Rhodo replies, phasing away the map of the arctic.

A moment later Gan returns with his bow, and he and Septa step up to the warp pad. With a final goodbye, they're whisked away by the azure beam, and as soon as they're gone, Rhodo turns back to the group. She kneels down in front of the little quartz before speaking. "So what do you say? You ready to train?"

"Yeah!" he shouts, throwing his fists into the air.

Moments later, the group moves down to a lower, more open outcropping—one Ametrine and Emerald had often trained on. The little quartz, Rhodonite, and Ametrine move to the center, while Emerald and Okenite take a seat near the edge of the cliff.

"Okay, before we start, I say we should try and gauge how strong you are already," Rhodo begins, gesturing to Ametrine, "Luckily, Ametrine here has so graciously offered to take the first blow—when you're ready, hit her with all you've got!"

"You heard her, little guy" Ametrine reiterates, getting herself into a fighting stance, "don't worry 'bout goin' easy on me,"

The little quartz smiles, and he too takes a fighting stance. With a determined battle cry he rushes Ametrine, raising one of his fists as he runs. As he comes upon her he lets his fist fly, mustering every ounce of strength he has, and when it finally connects...nothing happens. In fact, the attack seems to do more damage to the little quartz than to Ametrine. As soon as he strikes her, he immediately pulls his fist away, holding it in pain as though he'd just punched a concrete wall. The others sigh slightly, realizing just how difficult turning this little guy into a fighter will be.

Despite their reactions and his own bruised hand, the little quartz is undeterred. Instantly he's back at it again, jumping around Ametrine and taking pot shots at her wherever he can land a hit. All the while, Ametrine stands exactly as she had been before, unwavering despite the little quartz's onslaught. Eventually the little quartz tires himself out, and with a sigh he takes a knee in front of Ametrine.

"You're—" he pauses, trying to catch his breath, "You're stronger than I thought! Not everyone can stand up to an attack like that!"

Ametrine can't help but laugh a bit as she lifts him to his feet. "Yeah, you're right—I am pretty strong,"

"Yeah!" he gets into a fighting stance once more, a determined grin crossing his lips. "I'm gonna beat you in this round, though, just you watch!"

"Perhaps," Rhodo steps in, "We should just get on to the actual training instead—we wouldn't want to beat Ame up too bad, now would we?"

The little quartz looks up at her confusedly for a moment, yet at the prospect of real training he smiles excitedly. "Alright, let's do it!"

The training begins, and it goes as one would expect. With each task the little quartz fails spectacularly, often hurting or, at best, embarrassing himself in the process. Though he tries his best, the others consider just calling it quits. Yet the little quartz is undeterred—with each failure his desire to succeed only seems to increase. With each fall, he gets up quicker and quicker. It's plain to see that his lack of success is beginning to weigh on him, yet even so he remains optimistic. That is, until nightfall, where all his frustration comes to a head.

"Alright, I'm ready!" the little quartz shouts. Opposite him, the Argyles had helped him move a massive boulder, bigger than any one of them could move alone. His intent was to try and push it off the cliff's edge, in order to "prove he's as strong as any other quartz", as he'd put it. Though his determination is admirable, the Argyles worry for him—they worry that, like before, his hubris could lead to him hurting himself.

Ametrine is the first to voice her concerns. She kneels down in front of him, setting a hand on his shoulder. "Listen, little guy, you don't have to do this—you don't have to prove anything to us. We know you're strong already,"

"I'm not doing this for you!" he shouts, shaking her hand off of his shoulder. "This is for me," he mutters. Instantly, he breaks into a stride towards the boulder, his head pointed forward. He jumps into the air and into a somersault—the beginnings of the quartz's signature spin-dash. His form on it is perfect. He does it just as he's supposed to—just as his instincts tell him to. Yet rather than being enveloped in energy, rather than continuing to dash full-force at the boulder, the little quartz simply falls. He trips coming down, and he lands flat on his face.

Ametrine walks up to him, pulling him to his feet. He doesn't look up at her. "We've been over this, little guy—you can't spin-dash. I know you think you can, but—"

"No!" he shouts, cutting her off, "I can do it—I know I can! I'm a quartz soldier, just like you—if you can do it, so can I!" he jerks his hand away from her before running once again towards the boulder. He yells out a battle cry as he runs, and he raises his fists to meet the boulder. Yet just as he had with Ametrine earlier, his strike has no effect—he hits the boulder head-on, but it doesn't move in inch. He keeps trying nonetheless—using all the strength he can muster he continues to push on the boulder. He tries to push off with his feet, but they slip and fall out from under him. He tries going under it, but his efforts from that angle are fruitless, too. Eventually he resorts to just pounding on the rock with his fists, hoping desperately that the rock will move—but it doesn't budge.

After watching the little quartz go at it for some time, the others can't watch it any longer. They send Ametrine over to stop him, and as she comes up to him he stops. He's breathing heavily now, both from tiring himself out and from holding back his frustration. Ametrine kneels down next to him. "It's okay, really—you don't have to do this to yourself"

"Yes I do!" he roars, turning to face her. Tears are welling in his eyes now, and any semblance of optimism he had is gone. He turns away from her, again facing the boulder. "All 'a my instincts are telling me I can move this thing—I know I'm strong enough!" he punches the boulder again out of frustration before burying his face in it—he's crying now. "So why...why can't I do it?!" he yells out again, angrily flailing against the boulder, trying anything to make it move. Not wanting to get caught in the crossfire of his rampage, Ametrine steps back away from him, towards the rest of the Argyles. Eventually the little quartz tires himself out again, and as he tries once again to push the rock he instead pushes himself off of it. He stumbles and turns around, falling to his knees. Even from across the cliff, the Argyles can hear his sobbing. He clenches his eyes shut, trying to hold back his tears.

In between sobs and labored breaths, he speaks. "How...How can I be a quartz soldier..." he pauses, angrily slamming his fist down. As he speaks, the Argyles look past him to see the boulder stirring slightly, and as he pounds his fist against the mountain's stone it begins to levitate. All look on in shock, but the little quartz fails to notice it.

"...if I can't even move..." he continues, hammering his other fist down. As he does, the boulder rises further, and along with it smaller stones are picked up as well.

"A BIG...STUPID...ROCK!" He slams his face down into the ground beneath him, and with that even more stones begin to levitate. Dust is kicked up as well, and even the very mountain begins to shake slightly. He moves up into a kneeling position, still sobbing and crying out in anger, and the rocks and dust to levitate above him, swirling around in a strange, earthen vortex.

The Argyles continue to look on dumbfoundedly, yet in sensing the danger of having a massive boulder hovering over him, Emerald calls out to the little quartz. "Watch out!"

Through teary eyes the little quartz looks up at him, then up at the rocks levitating above him. Instantly, the boulder begins to fall, and he tries his best to run from it—but he's not fast enough. With a resounding thud, the boulder falls on top of him. He holds it up for a moment, but it proves too massive for him. His form dissipates and the boulder hits the ground, shaking the surrounding stone and nearly knocking the Argyles off their feet. They look on in horror at the boulder for a moment before Ametrine and Emerald run in to move it off of him. With some effort they roll the boulder away, and they prepare themselves for what lies underneath...

Yet much to their relief, they find no shards—the little quartz's stone sits completely intact and undamaged, enveloped within a spiked, white bubble. They and Rhodo turn to Okenite, who sits where everyone had been before, her arms outstretched towards the bubble. With a collective sigh of relief, the Argyles relax and move to sit together.

Okenite levitates the bubble towards her, inspecting its contents. "He'll be fine," she says, "he just needs to rest a moment,"

"Keep him in there for a while," Rhodo implores, taking on a serious tone, "we need to talk about him. I don't think it's healthy for us to keep this up"

"Keep what up?" Ametrine asks, almost challenging her suggestion.

"We can't keep letting him think he's a quartz—at this rate, he's gonna get himself shattered"

"He is a quartz!" Ametrine barks, somewhat shocking everyone else. "I know he's not tall or strong or whatever, but if what just happens proves anything, it's that there's a warrior somewhere in there!"

"I'm not doubting that, Ame. All I'm saying is that his believing that is starting to get self-destructive—I just don't want to see him get hurt"

"That's noble, Rhodo," Emerald chimes in, "but I have to agree with Ametrine. It's not a matter of belief—he is a quartz, one way or another. It's hard to explain, but I think I know what he's feeling. Outside he's an opal, but inside he's a quartz—his mind and body don't match," he sighs, resting his head in his hand, "I can't even imagine how frustrating that would be,"

Rhodo moves like she's going to respond, but she stops short, contemplating Emerald's words. Instead, Okenite speaks. "What are we to do, then? Do we continue trying to make him a quartz? Or shall we convince him to accept that he is an opal?"

No one has an answer. All sit silent for a moment, weighing both options. Finally, Emerald speaks. "I say we should let him decide. After this ordeal, he probably has as much to think about as we do,"

All nod in agreement, and Okenite pops the bubble. Instantly, the little quartz begins to take shape, and as his glowing body sets itself on the ground his new form comes into view. With this reformation, he'd gone in a completely different direction with his outfit—rather than a tight body glove, he'd instead chosen a pair of baggy pants, and besides that he wears little else. What's most striking, however, is what is revealed in the body glove's abscence; all along the little quartz's dark brown skin, tattoos of bright greens and blues swirl about, appearing like the opalescent cracks in his gemstone. What's more, his form appears slightly more muscular than before, and his hair has grown even longer, covering his eyes and spilling over his shoulders—just like a quartz.

As he realizes he's reformed, he smiles, running his hair through his new, thick locks. He looks up at everyone else, a happy grin still spread across his face. "Look!" he says, holding up his hair, "Now I really look like a quartz!"

The others can't help but laugh—somehow, even after an outburst like that, he can still come out smiling. Remembering said outburst, Ametrine speaks. "Okay, okay, before anything else—can you explain what that was?"

"What what was?" he replies, cocking his head to the side in confusion.

"You made those rocks float! Could you always do that?"

"Well, yeah, I mean," he thinks on it for a moment, "I guess I just do it when I'm upset?. I can kinda control it, but mostly it just sorta happens, y'know?"

"And are you feeling alright now?" Emerald chimes in, "I mean, you seemed fairly upset back there,"

The little quartz's smile falters a bit as he thinks of an answer. "Yeah, I mean...I'm still sad, I guess...but I'm okay!" he smiles again, flipping his mane over his face. He lies down on a rock and parts his hair so that his face can be seen. "It's weird, but looking like a quartz helps a bit, y'know? Who'da thought hair could make someone so happy!"

Ametrine laughs, in spite of her worries for him. "Glad to hear it, kid—I say it suits you!"

He smiles wider as he lays back, his head hanging off the side of the rock. He spots the giant boulder off a few dozen meters from them, and with a determined smile he stands back up. "Ey, y'know what else?" he ties his hair back into a messy ponytail, yet somehow it still covers his eyes, "I think I'm ready to take another crack at that big son of a—"

"Belay that," Rhodo interrupts him, holding a hand up to her visor. It's flashing a bright pink, and from the earpieces a muffled beeping can be heard. "I'm getting a call,"

The others turn their attention to her. "Who from?" Ametrine asks.

"It says it's coming from...the Arctic Citadel?" Rhodo moves to a sitting position, allowing her gemstone to project a hologram before her. Instantly, a pink, static-y Gan materializes.

"Rhodo? Rhodo! Can you hear me?" he speaks hurriedly—almost worriedly.

"Loud and clear, Gan" Rhodo responds, smiling, "How's the weather up North?"

"It's cold and I hate it—and, ironically, things have gone pretty far South. We—" the message cuts out for a moment, displaying only static on the hologram.

"Wait, what do you mean? Where's Septa? Gan, are you there?!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm here! Listen, I don't have much time—me n' Septa got captured, and we need help gettin' out. This—" the call cuts out again, "—she's using—" and again, "—aw, dammit, I think they found me! Listen, just get here quick! We—" with that, the call drops completely, and Rhodo phases the hologram away.

"Well then," Rhodo says, addressing the group, "It seems we have a new mission. Any volunteers to come along?"

"Yeah!" Ametrine shouts, jumping to her feet, "I've been itchin' for a fight for weeks! Let's do it!"

Emerald chuckles at her enthusiasm as he, too, stands up. "Well, it isn't how I pictured my evening going, but yeah, I'll come along too! Besides, I owe Gan a favor anyways,"

"Alright, then it's settled. Okenite, stay here and call us if anything happens," Okenite nods, and Rhodo turns back to Emerald and Ametrine. "As for you two, meet me up at the warp pad. Let's go!"

"Wait!" the little quartz pipes up. "I'm coming, too, aren't I?"

The others hesitate a moment before answering. "I...don't know if you're ready for a fight like this yet, little guy. Why don't you stay here and help Okenite protect the temple?" Rhodo suggests.

"But I've trained a whole day for this!" he argues, "Septarian said it herself—a big, strong quartz like me can be a big help to you guys! Besides, if Icey really went up there, then I wanna go see her! Maybe she needs help, too!"

The others exchange glances for a moment before sighing collectively. "Alright," Rhodo says, "Against my better judgement, you can come, too,"

"Awesome!" the little quartz yells, jumping up and throwing his fists into the air excitedly. As soon as he touches the ground, he runs up towards the warp pad, and the Argyles, with a few final worried glances between each other, follow suit.


	16. The Arctic Citadel (Part I)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Voice Cast  
> -Phil LaMarr as Emerald  
> -Grey DeLisle as Rhodonite  
> -Matt Lanter as Mahogany Obsidian  
> -Octavia Spencer as Ametrine  
> -Stephany Nadolny as The Little Quartz  
> -Tasia Valenza as the Mysterious Voice

As the Argyles arrive at their destination, they're greeted not by the serene, natural settings they're accustomed to. Rather, the second they materialize, a gust of icy wind and snow nearly blows them off the warp pad. Yet as they adjust to the weather they begin to stand firmer, and as they step down from the pad they investigate their surroundings. Behind them is a massive cliff, with waterfalls of melting ice peppering its side, each one cascading down into the icy water below. Looking forward, they expect to see the arctic citadel—yet only the thick, white void of the blizzard stands before them.

"Shouldn't it be right here, Rhodo?" Ametrine asks, raising her voice slightly over the sound of the wind.

"It should," she replies, "But, we are on top of a glacier—my guess is either it or the warp pad moved over the last few millennia" Rhodo looks back towards the edge of the glacier, then forward again, scanning all directions. Finally, she seems to decide on one path. "There," she says, pointing into the blizzard, "Sørdomen's that way,"

"Sørdomen?" Emerald asks.

"Oh yeah, I forgot you guys weren't there for it," Ametrine replies, "Man, you guys missed out on a hell of a fight!"

"We can tell them about it on the way," Rhodo interjects. She begins walking into the blizzard, gesturing for the others to follow her, and soon the four disappear into the snow.

As they walk, the storm begins to let up slightly, yet still it remains difficult to see anything too far off. Emerald moves in closer to Ametrine and Rhodonite in order to not get lost, and with the same worry in mind the little quartz hops up on Emerald's shoulders. As he settles himself in amongst Emerald's extra arms, Rhodo speaks. "Sørdomen is the southernmost ice dome of this glacier's cap," she explains, "and, unless it's moved somehow, that's where we'll find the citadel,"

"What ha—" Emerald begins, but he stops short as he nearly trips over something. He looks down to see it's a sword, its blade deeply embedded in the icy floor. As he looks out farther, he begins to notice more weapons like it—axes and shields, spears and armor, all scattered about the glacier, half-buried by snow. Realizing there could be gem shards amidst them as well, Emerald shudders a bit before continuing, "What happened here, anyway?"

"The Citadel was Homeworld's control center for all the northernmost facets," Rhodo expains, "From here, they regulated kindergartens, commanded armies—everything. So, naturally, the Crystal Gems wanted to try and take it. Yet when they found themselves completely outmatched, we saw it as our opportunity to finally join their cause,"

"Oh, man, you should'a seen it, Em!" Ametrine shouts enthusiastically, "The rebels were pinned down about..." she searches around before pointing to a large plateau jutting out from the glacier. "There! There was only about fifty of 'em, with nothin' to protect 'em but that ice and that Rose Quartz's shield. But then, the Argyles swooped in and defeated the rest 'a Homeworld's soldiers, and together we rushed the Citadel, took out the troops inside, and claimed it for ourselves!"

"Wow!" the little quartz shouts, nearly standing up on Emerald's shoulders. "How many Homeworld soldiers do you think ya beat?"

"I dunno, but it sure felt like a lot—I'd guess a couple hundred, at least!" Emerald couldn't see Ametrine's face in full, but just from her tone he could tell she was proud of herself, and gloating to the little one certainly wasn't helping to deflate her ego.

"Heads up, everyone," Rhodo says, interrupting Ametrine's bragging. She adjusts her visor and looks out into the blizzard before speaking again. "I think we're close"

"How close?" Emerald asks.

"It should be right...about..." she takes a few steps forward, adjusting her visor again, "There!"

Through the storm, an outline begins to materialize. Based on its size the others assume it's a mountain, yet as the storm continues to gradually subside walls and towers become clear. Soon, smaller details come into view as well: windows are broken, flags are torn down, and even an entire section of the wall appears to be destroyed. Whether it was rebels or merely time that had been so unkind to the place was unclear, yet despite its damage the fortress appears as imposing as it must have been back in the day.

"The Arctic Citadel," Ametrine mutters, seemingly reminiscing on the battle. She and the others begin to walk towards the fortress, still marveling at its size and presence. Yet upon getting close enough to see the door, Rhodo suddenly pulls the whole group behind a large ice chunk.

"Stay down," she whispers. Cautiously, she peeks her head over the ice chunk, and despite her command the others do the same. At the door to the Citadel, they see two corrupted gems. They both appear to be some type of quartz; from their fanged mouths to their clawed feet they're covered in thick, white fur, and from the sides of their heads large, rounded horns extend out like mammoth's tusks.

"Are they...guarding the door?" Emerald asks, trying to keep his voice down.

"Seems like it," Rhodo answers, "But I've never seen a monster consciously guard anything before—something's up here,"

"Whatever it is, those things are blocking our only way inside‚" Ametrine chimes in, "So I say we take 'em out!" she begins to stand up and summon her weapons, but Rhodo holds a hand out in front of her, gesturing for her to stay down.

"We can't just rush in, Ame," she says. She points up to the higher walls of the fortress: all along them similar monsters pace about, seemingly acting as sentries. "If we make a scene of it, those guys'll be on us in a second. We need to take them out from a distance so no one knows it's us," she turns to Emerald, smiling, "Em, you wanna try that thing you've been practicing?"

Emerald smiles and nods, moving in closer to the monsters. He peeks his head around the ice chunk, extending his two right arms toward the monsters. With one of his eyes closed he takes aim, and green energy begins to swirl around his fingertips. He takes a deep breath, and just as he exhales he fires, sending two energy blasts into the monsters' sides. With a slight whimper from both, the monsters fall to the ground, their forms dissipating soon after.

"Okay, let's move!" Rhodo shouts, hopping over the ice chunk. The others follow suit, and swiftly they make their way into the citadel, stopping only to bubble the two monsters' gems before walking through the door.

Once inside, they move stealthily through the fortress's corridors, being careful to stay out of the quartz monsters' sight. Carefully, they check in each doorway they come across, hoping to find where Gan and Septa are being held. All the while, Emerald subtly admires the fortress's interior: it's in terrible disrepair, with many of its ceilings caved in and snow drifts piling up on its walls, yet somehow just the idea of the Earth re-claiming one of Homeworld's strongholds seems beautifully poetic to him. He continues to marvel at his surroundings until Rhodonite stops the group. Ahead of them are two hallways going in opposite directions, both with numerous branching paths along their walls.

"We'll have to split up," Rhodo whispers, "Ame, you take the little guy—Em, you're with me," Ametrine nods before scooping the little quartz up and onto her shoulders and walking to the left hallway, while Emerald and Rhodo head down the right.

The two of them continue down the hallways for some time, still finding no sign of Gan or Septa, before Rhodo suddenly pulls Emerald against a wall. She shushes him before he can protest, allowing her to listen closely to a sound from the other end of the hallway. Emerald hears it, too—footsteps, too light to be a quartz monster, coming from around the next corner. Rhodo summons her tonfas and Emerald, having no weapon to summon, simply raises his fists to attack. As the two move up to the corner, they hear the footsteps opposite them slow their pace as well, until all three stop just before the turn. Rhodo and Emerald move first, taking a wide berth around the corner as to catch the other person off guard. Yet as an arrow flies past their heads, they quickly lower their guard.

"Geez, took you guys long enough," Gan says with a smile, lowering his bow.

"Gan!" Rhodo yells, forgetting for a moment to keep her voice low, "What're you doing here? I thought you got captured!"

"Yeah, well, those monsters are pretty easy to get past, once you figure 'em out," he replies, talking quietly as well, "Did you find Septa?"

"She's not with you?" Rhodo replies, continuing down the corridor with Emerald and Gan in tow.

"Nah, she put us in separate cells—honestly, I'm surprised Septa hasn't broken out yet,"

"Wait, wait, She? Who captured you, exactly?"

"It's the Ice A—" before he can finish, Emerald interrupts him.

"Guys, we've got company!" Further down the hall, a pack of quartz monsters bound towards them, growling with their fangs bared. Instantly all three run in the opposite direction, only to be cut off by even more monsters. The two packs close in on them, trapping the group in the middle of the corridor. As they look for a way out, they hear a door open behind them, followed by a deep, heavily accented voice.

"Well," the voice says, "It appears we have more guests,"

The Argyles turn to see who it could be, yet before anyone can get a good look they're grabbed by the quartz monsters and thrown back against the wall. They struggle to break free, yet before they can a large wall of ice materializes in front of them, holding them back. The voice speaks again, but the wall is too thick to clearly make out any words, let alone an image of who's saying them. All the Argyles can see are blurry, blue and white blobs through the ice. The only blob standing upright—the one they deduce to be the source of the voice—says something to the quartz monsters before seemingly turning back to the Argyles. Instantly, the ice wall begins to close around each of them. Most of it melts, yet what stays solid moves to the Argyles' limbs and faces, forming cuffs and blindfolds respectively. With their legs and arms now bound, the Argyles fall to the ground. They struggle against their restraints, even moreso when they feel the quartz monsters pick them up in their mouths. Through their blindfolds they see only that they're being moved, though to where they know not.


	17. The Arctic Citadel (Part II)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Voice Cast  
> -Phil LaMarr as Emerald  
> -Grey DeLisle as Rhodonite  
> -Tilda Swinton as Septarian  
> -Matt Lanter as Mahogany Obsidian  
> -Octavia Spencer as Ametrine  
> -Stephany Nadolny as Boulder Opal  
> -Tasia Valenza as Ice Agate

A moment later, Emerald, Rhodo, and Gan are set down and propped up on their knees. Before they can react, their blindfolds begin to melt, and with blinking eyes they take in their surroundings. They'd been carried into the citadel's main hall: a massive room, with tall ceilings, grand pillars, and torn banners bearing the diamond authority's old symbol. Yet what was probably not part of the original design was all the ice—all across the floors and ceilings, ice crystals large and small jut out, and coupled with the snow and smooth ice covering the other surfaces the room feels more like a natural ice cave than a fortress. All the ice crystals seem to point inward toward a single point, and as the Argyles' follow them they see what it is. In the center of the room, atop a massive mound of ice, a crystalline throne acts as a sort of centerpiece—yet whom exactly the throne seats remains to be seen.

"So, I see your rescue mission is going well," Septarian's voice makes the others jump a bit, yet instantly their attention focuses to her. She and Ametrine kneel just beside them, bound in similar, icy cuffs.

"Septa!" Rhodo shouts, both out of relief and surprise. "I mean, yeah, I'd say it's going pretty well—we just found you and Gan, didn't we?"

"Indeed you did. Now then, I assume you have a daring escape planned out already?"

"Oh, yeah, totally! Don't get me wrong, I'm open to suggestions, though," Rhodo pauses, looking around Septa and Ametrine, "Wait, where's the little guy?"

"He ran off when they found me," Ametrine replies, "I dunno where he's at,"

Rhodo sighs, "Well, hopefully he's in a better spot then we are,"

"That being said," Septa chimes in, "I believe I've come up with a way to escape. First, we'll have to—"

"Silence!" from the room's far wall, that same voice from earlier interrupts Septa, and the Argyles turn to see who it's coming from. Before them stands a massive gem—a quartz soldier, judging by her muscular physique and gigantic mane of thick, silverhair. She wears shining white armor over a sand blue body glove, complimented by beige fur along the armor's trim. On her face are thick, tiger stripe-esque markings, all pointing inward to the hexagonal gemstone on her nose. After addressing the group, she walks up and takes a seat atop the icy throne, looking down with disdain at the gems before her.

"I always expected you Argyles to be greater in number—I'm not impressed" Her voice seems almost deeper and more imposing than before, with a thick accent that's hard to pin down at first—Norweigan, perhaps. As she speaks, two of the quartz monsters come up next to her, and with the faintest hint of a smile she scratches their heads as if they're mere dogs. "My brothers and sisters have told me much of the Argyles. They tell me of how you sacked this fortress, imprisoning them and claiming it for your so-called "revolution". Then, when the war ended, you left them here to become these...these monsters," she'd clenched her fists tight as she spoke the last word, almost snarling as well before turning back to the group. "But I survived! Protected beneath the Earth's crust, I..."

As she continues to monologue, seemingly lost in her own story, the Argyles quietly continue to formulate their plan. "Alright, this is what I had in mind," Septa begins, speaking in a hushed whisper. She looks over to Emerald. "Do you think one of your energy blasts could melt our restraints?"

Emerald thinks on it for a moment. "Probably?"

"Good enough. Once she's distracted, do your best to get these off of us. As soon as you do, I need you and Gan to lay down cover fire while Rhodonite, Ametrine, and I go to find our little quartz. Once you see your chance, get out of here as fast as you can and rendezvous with us back at the warp pad. Got it?"

Emerald moves to object, yet he's stopped short as massive ice spikes materialize in front of his and the others' faces. He looks up to see the quartz on the throne, glaring down at them angrily with her hand raised. "Such insolence!" she roars through clenched teeth, "You come into my domain, upset my brothers and sisters, try to undermine my authority—and now you talk over me!"

"Pardon me," Septa interjects, "but I seem to recall it was you who imprisoned us, even after we explained that we meant you no ill will—again, forgive me, but I believe you're the impolite one here"

"No ill will?" the quartz repeats angrily. "Did you mean no ill will when you took this fortress—the place that was to be my home—from my brethren? Did you mean no ill will when you imprisoned them?"

"It was a time of war, you must understand," Septa retorts, "Truly, we regret all the harm we caused then—just let us go now, and we'll not trouble you any more"

"NO!" she roars. As she speaks, more quartz monsters appear, surrounding the Argyles. They snarl and lick their chops, some even beginning to bark and howl. "For what you've done to my fellow soldiers—my brethren—you must pay," she points down the group and addresses all the monsters in the room. "Bring me their stones, brothers and sisters, so that I may shatter them myself!" The monsters begin to close in on the Argyles, yet before they can attack a voice from the back of the room stops them.

"Wait!" The Argyles look up to the balcony behind them to see, much to their surprise, the little quartz. He jumps down into the center of the room, landing flat on his face. As he gets up and brushes snow off of himself, he smiles up at the quartz before him.

"And who might you be?" Her gaze is as icy as those she gave to the Argyles, yet this time there's some inquisitiveness mixed in as well.

"What?" The little quartz replies, his smile faltering somewhat, "Ice Agate, it's me! From Theta? We both came out of our holes late?"

"Oh, I remember now!" she replies after thinking on it for a moment, and the little quartz's face lights up again—but only for a moment. "You're that scrawny puke who thought he was a Quartz, aren't you?"

"Bu—But I am a Quartz!" he shouts, gesturing back to the Argyles, "Tell her, guys!"

"You're in league with them?" Ice Agate interrupts, rising from her throne. She walks down to the little quartz, standing imposingly in front of him, yet he stands his ground.

Behind them, Septarian looks over to Emerald and nods, and Emerald takes it as a sign to begin their escape plan. He forms an energy ball in one of his hands, and after a second or two his shackles begin to melt away. He breaks free and begins to work on his other two hands, and all the while the little quartz continues to speak to Ice Agate.

"They're cool, I promise!" he says, still standing firm in the face of the much larger gem, We're building an army to help save Earth—you could help us!"

"Help you? You and your friends are rebels—traitors to Homeworld! I would sooner shatter all of you than help you!"

At this, the little quartz's smile fades completely. "B-but I thought we were friends!"

"I'm afraid friendship with a delusional, undersized Boulder Opal doesn't interest me. Why do you think I tried so hard to get rid of you before leaving Theta?" The little quartz doesn't reply. Whether it be from shock or confusion, he had nothing left to say. Sensing this, Ice Agate grabs him by his ponytail, lifting him up to her eye level. "Now if you don't mind, I have some real warriors to deal with—so I suggest you stay out of my way," She reels back and throws the little quartz into the room's back wall, and he hits it with an audible thud, falling motionlessly to the floor.

"Now!" Septa shouts, and the now free Argyles spring into action. Instantly they summon their weapons and attack the closest quartz monsters, save for Septa, who immediately goes for Ice Agate. She summons her sword as she runs, raising it high into the air before hurling it down onto the quartz. Ice Agate blocks, however, as she summons her own weapon—a massive battle axe—to catch the sword. As the two continue to clash, Septa turns back and gives her orders. "Gan, get up to the balcony and give us some cover fire! Rhodonite, Ametrine, take out the monsters—leave no gem un-bubbled!" Before she can give Emerald a task, Ice Agate nearly cleaves her in half, and Septa takes it as a sign to focus on her own fight.

Having no clear orders, Emerald moves back towards the little quartz, all the while blasting any monster that comes too close. He finds cover behind a larger ice crystal, and from there he continues to hit what monsters he can. At one point he sees one about to attack Ametrine, only a few meters away from him. With a split second of bravery, he runs out and tackles it before pelting it with about a dozen tiny blasts, earning a thumbs-up and a smile from Ametrine. The two retreat back behind Emerald's original cover spot, and while he covers her Ametrine grabs the little quartz and carries him back to cover.

"Hey, wake up!" she says, trying to get a response from the smaller gem, "We need your help here, man!"

"What's the point," he mutters, earning a confused and concerned look from Ametrine. "She's right—I'm no quartz," he stands up, though he keeps his shoulders slumped and his head down. "I'm not strong. I'm not fast." He clenches his fists, and tears begin to run down his cheeks, "I don't even look like a quartz!"

As he begins to sob, Ametrine's gaze hardens. "You think that's all there is to it, huh?" He looks up at her through tear-stained eyes, somewhat confused. "You think that, just because I got long hair and I can fight, I'm fit to call myself a quartz soldier?" She suddenly, almost angrily, pulls him up by his ponytail, up to her eye level. "Hell no!" she shouts, "Being a quartz isn't just looking the part. It isn't even how well you can fight. The way I see it, being a quartz is about finding courage despite danger, and determination despite failures. It's about going into battle with a smile on your face, because you know nothing can hold you back. And most importantly, it's about never giving up, no matter how much the odds are stacked against you. That's what we quartzes do—if there's something in our way, we dash through it and keep on going! You feel me, little guy?"

As Ametrine had been speaking, the little quartz's expression had begun to light up, as if her words were re-igniting something in him. As she finishes, he nods dumbfoundedly before Ametrine drops him.

"But this," she gestures to him lying on the ground, "this is not what a quartz would do. This isn't who you are. I've seen it: while we were training, you never gave up—not even for a second! No matter how much it looked like you couldn't do something, you always give it your best shot anyways. That is what a quartz does! Who cares what that Ice-Clod thinks—the way I see it, you're twice the quartz she is!" as Ametrine says this, she removes her mask, revealing her one compound eye. "And I'd know," she smiles down at him before putting her mask back on, leaving him both inspired and confused.

"Hey, listen, I'm sorry to interrupt your guys' moment," Emerald shouts, still firing at the quartz monsters, "but Gan and Rhodo's forms were both just destroyed, Septa can't fight Ice Agate much longer, and frankly I could use a little help here!"

Ametrine lifts the little quartz to his feet. "My point, little guy, is that you are a quartz. no matter what anyone else says or thinks," she ushers him out towards the battlefield before running out herself, yelling back to him, "Now act like one!"

The little quartz stands there for a moment longer, seemingly contemplating Ametrine's words. Finally, all at once, he clenches his fists, yells out in anger, and sprints toward Ice Agate. Through the corner of his eye Emerald watches him, expecting him to fail again. Yet something begins to happen—all around the citadel's floor, cracks begin to open up, and from them scores of small, smooth stones begin to levitate out. They swirl around the little quartz as he runs, and some of them begin to localize around his left arm. Compiling together around his fist, the stones form a sort of gauntlet. He comes upon Ice Agate, still focused on her duel with Septa, and with a final shout he jumps up and reels his fist back to punch her. He hits her square on the side of her head with incredible force—almost as if the stones had helped accelerate his fist forward.

Regardless of how it happened, Ice Agate feels the effects. She stands up again, somewhat disoriented, yet with her sights still set on Septarian. Septa backs off, however, and instead the little quartz jumps up and hits her again, once more knocking her off guard. With her attention now on him, Ice Agate re-summons her axe and attempts to catch him on its blade, yet the little quartz's smaller size proves to be a powerful asset. With each swing he ducks and dodges and rolls, each time only just evading the axe. As he notices her getting frustrated, he goes on the offensive: once again, he begins levitating the stones around him, and with a push of his hands he sends them flying like a spray of bullets. Ice Agate tries to shield herself from the stones, yet in doing so she leaves herself open to another attack. Instantly the little runs up and headbutts her stomach, knocking the wind out of her and pushing her down onto her back. While she's on the ground, the little quartz moves in for his finishing blow. He brings all the stones near him, and using them to give him a boost he launches himself into the air. On his way down, he again brings all the stones to his fist, forming a gauntlet once more. Yet before he can strike the final blow, Ice Agate reaches out her hand, and with it she extends out a large pillar of ice from the floor. It knocks the little quartz out of the way, and as he falls to the ground she freezes him in place. He tries to get up, but to no avail—his hands and feet are completely stuck to the floor. Instantly, Ice Agate re-summons her axe and raises it high above her head, preparing to strike the little quartz down.

Before she can, however, a massive blade is thrust through her back and out her chest, stopping her in her tracks. She gags a bit before looking down in horror at it, and an instant later her form and her weapon both dissipate. Behind her, Septarian holds her sword out at arm's length, slightly out of breath from having fought for so long. With a relieved sigh, she phases her sword away and bends down to help the little quartz, pulling him free from the ice with little effort. The two share a smile, seemingly thanking each other for the mutual assist.

"Hey!" Ametrine yells from behind them. Turning back, they see that Ametrine and Emerald had taken care of the rest of the monsters' gemstones, and were now bubbling all that they'd defeated "You guys done over there?"

The little quartz picks up Ice Agate's gemstone and holds it for some time, seemingly thinking about something. With a sigh, he finally bubbles it and taps the top, sending it back to the Argyles' temple. Septa sets a hand on his shoulder and smiles down at him, and he smiles back. "Yeah, we're done!" the little quartz yells to Ametrine.

"Okay, good!" Ametrine replies, shooting him a thumbs-up, "Now help us bubble these so we can go home!"

. . .

"So you never did tell us, little guy," Emerald asks, "What kind of quartz are you?"

As the four of them walk back with Gan and Rhodo's gemstones on hand, they'd of course taken a moment to congratulate the little quartz on his victory, as well as to just converse and enjoy the nice weather—save for a some light snowfall, the storm had all but died away.

"What, like, what name do I want"? He asks.

"Yeah!" Ametrine chimes in, "I mean, since you don't have a set quartz name already, you could really just choose whatever you want,"

The little quartz contemplates this for a moment, but he seems to come up with nothing. "What do you guys think I look like?"

"Maybe Aqua Aura Quartz?" Emerald suggests. "It matches the blue parts of your gemstone, at least.

"Nah man, it's gotta be something that compliments your rock-powers," Ametrine adds, "Stone Canyon Jasper might work,"

"You could just go by Geode, if you would prefer something more simple," Septarian chimes in.

The little quartz goes silent, seemingly thinking on their suggestions. As they come upon the warp pad, he finally speaks again. "Y'know what? I think I might just go by Boulder Opal," he smiles at the thought of it, "Bo'pal, for short!"

The others exchange puzzled glances, and Emerald speaks on their confusion. "Isn't that the name you felt bad being called by not long ago?"

"Well, yeah," he replies, trying to formulate his reasoning, "but it's like Ametrine said to me: I'm a quartz because I act like one, not because I look or sound like one—and I think that my name should be like that, too, y'know?"

Ametrine laughs and playfully tousles his hair, eliciting a laugh from him as well. As the group steps onto the pad and warps back to the temple, he repeats the name to himself again. "Bo'pal," he chuckles slightly at the sound of it, "that's got a nice ring to it"


End file.
